


Two Glasses of Champagne

by Anonymous



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Genderbending, Genderswap, Infidelity, NO ANGST IN THIS HOUSEHOLD, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Unbeta'ed, changki are doctors, past!kiho, past!showhyuk, showhyungheon are part of the police force
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2019-11-21 17:51:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18145469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Hyunwoo and Kisoon, two divorcees navigate around their lives together, hand in hand after what they used to call home - becomes a void.With a bond born from an unconventional circumstance, colourful cast of friends,  an agreement and arrangement of sorts, a clichés  thrown into the mix,slowly, and surely, that void can become home again.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> the only alcoholic drink i drink on the average is cider and the last time i drank champagne was like years ago i forgot the taste so whoops
> 
> also this was based on a story i read on quora!!!!!!!!

He’s aware of the distance between them, the one that’s been getting larger and larger despite how much he thinks it can be fixed. He isn’t aware, however, of how impossible it would’ve been to do so and nothing can be salvaged from their broken marriage. 

 

Not with how he saw Dior latching onto a man’s arm as they waltzed into their home. 

 

Home? Can it really be called home when the thought of that place now makes Hyunwoo’s stomach churn? 

 

He trails behind them hidden in the shadows but doesn’t enter the front door until the bedroom lights shine through the opened glass windows. Amazing. Not only did Dior get rid of him from her heart, she threw out all bits of basic decency. 

 

Hyunwoo sneaks into the house with quiet footsteps, ignoring the loud giggles and echoing moans upstairs. Bitch, he bites. 

 

The living room is stricken with hints of occupants rather than traces of someone who’s been living on her own for the past few days. Strewn over the couch, over the coffee table, even the carpeted floor - there are men’s clothes here and there.

 

None of it belongs to Hyunwoo.

 

Without wasting time, he picks them up and shoves it in his arm, streams of curses spilling out of his mouth. His heartbreak swallowed by the raging anger Hyunwoo’s trying hard to control. 

 

A soft thud resounds in the room and Hyunwoo sees a pair of car keys, just glistening in the dark.

 

He stuffs them in the pocket at the back and when his rummaging finds nothing else that he can use as confrontation, Hyunwoo runs out of the place and spots what he assumes is the man’s car.

 

It’s a fairly nice car, not like the Hyundai his uncle passed down to him. 

 

(He’s not jealous. He really isn’t. It’s not like Hyunwoo can’t afford a new car but its sentimental value is rooted. 

 

Still, he feels a bit bitter.) 

 

Turning away from the sleek Honda accord, he begrudgingly trudges to his own car determined to ruin the man’s own home. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Yeobo?”

 

The woman that answers the doorbell is petite and beautiful. Her pretty face ridden with worries has a frown etched on it, possibly from how she expected her dear husband to finally return home but no, it’s a stranger. 

 

 

His plans to wreck havoc and destroy the man’s house comes to a halt. The man has a wife waiting for him at home and by the looks of it, she stayed up for days. 

 

(Hyunwoo doesn’t know why these things happen. Doesn’t know why they have to be in this situation. 

 

Are they that bad of people that they can’t talk it out? 

 

That their spouses bear secrets and stash them under a sofa? 

 

A simple, Let’s divorce, I don’t love you anymore would hurt less than this.

 

It’ll take time, though definitely shorter than any scars infidelity would inflict in his case. ) 

 

The woman seems agitated and he can’t really blame her. It’s the dead of night, the clock nearly striking 2AM but he’s sure that the next thing to strike is her anger. 

 

So, he beats her to it. 

 

“I saw your husband in my house.”

 

The woman squints.

 

“Are you guys friends? Is that why he’s not home yet?”

 

Hyunwoo shakes his head. “Actually, he’s been sleeping-”

 

“He’s been sleeping over at your place, huh?” she giggles but weariness and defeat are hinted. The woman seems like she knows but much like himself, stays in denial. Hyunwoo doesn’t want to break her, but he needs to break it to her. 

 

He takes a deep breath. He’s not sure if he can do this because this is his wife. This is the woman he called the love of his life, the woman he married. This is his life. If Hyunwoo says it, then he’s acknowledging it and truthfully, he wants it to be a faux. 

 

But the tie and crumpled dress shirt in his arms aren’t his. 

 

No. 

 

They belong to who this woman vowed to as the love of her life. 

 

It’s unfair. 

 

“Your husband is in my house and I saw them. My wife and him. I took his things, saw his address, and drove here.”

 

The woman’s face doesn’t change except for her eyes . The hopeful eyes turned dull and sad and he knows it’s the same as his. If one of them starts to cry, the other would surely follow. 

 

“That dress shirt is his. I know it from the embossed cosmos flower. I did that for him. Thank you, uh…” she smiles apologetically. 

 

“Son Hyunwoo. I’m Chief of Police at the local station if it helps explaining my side of the situation. The wife’s a secretary. ” 

 

The woman chuckles lightly. “Ower early ng and demanding office hours too, then? Yoo Kisoon. Paediatrician at the hospital. Husband owns a gym. I guess that says a lot about them.”

 

It’s as plain as day. Two marriages vowed for a short-termed self-variation of an eternity severed by two people who gave up on their so-called beloved’s dreams. 

 

Hyunwoo’s sure that this couple was aware of a paediatrician’s responsibilities ranging outside of typical business hours, much like his own. 

 

But neither were enough. 

 

Neither worked out. 

 

“Ahem.”

 

Kisoon steps to the side, door still wide open and she gestures for the man to come in. “I doubt you’d want a pity party from your colleagues, so why not have one with a fellow victim of a bedswerver?”

 

She’s right. 

 

He doesn't fancy the idea of being alone since the anger has been scratching his throat for hours by now. He wants to say it all, dump it on someone. But his friends are asleep and his colleagues wouldn’t be that into the idea of him bringing alcohol into the station either. 

 

For once, Hyunwoo wants to be selfish. 

 

Kisoon notes his distress. “There’s champagne in the cabinet. Mind drinking with me?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liquid courage cuts the awkward tension. 

 

“Did you know?”

 

Kisoon whimpers. “Know what?” Her head’s beginning to throb but she doesn’t have any plan to stop soon. 

 

The man downs another shot. The burning sensation hurts his throat but it soothes him in a way. Covers the pain from the heartbreak. “That he was cheating on you.”

 

A hum. “Had my suspicions. I am an absolute idiot.”

 

“You’re not an idiot. Dumb, but not an idiot.”

 

Kisoon scoffs. “Excuse me?”

 

“If you’re an idiot, you wouldn’t be having suspicions. You’re just dumb for holding onto it longer.”

 

The doctor pours herself another glass. “Then what does that make you?”

 

“A stupid fool. I just thought my work hours made us distant and all we needed was a weekend together.” Right, he booked two nights at the resort. At least, he can get a refund on it even though he wasted years loving trash. 

 

Kisoon guffaws, head thrown back in a fit of laughter. “Right, right.”

 

He wonders if they were a sorry sight. Kisoon’s hair is a tangled mess and there’s dried tear stains on her face, eyes rimmed red and swollen. He’s sure he looks the same from the way his cheeks feel sticky and his eyes sting from crying too much. 

 

Where is he going to go from now on? He doesn’t want to enter that house ever again: forever stained with hidden traces of infidelity. Who knows when it started or how much of the house has seen Dior’s new lover than himself. 

 

“Hyunwoo-ssi, is it okay if I ask for your number?”

 

Snapped out of his thoughts, he nods and slips his phone out. “Why, though?”

 

Kisoon hums, head thrown back as she chugs another gulp down. “We only have each other, don’t we? I doubt your anger and heartbreak would go away that soon.” Her speech slurs at the end but Hyunwoo understands what she’s trying to say. 

 

“So basically you want us to burden each other with our failed marriages because we can’t do that to other people?” the man chuckles and while he laughs like he’s treating it as a joke, he does entertain it. How straightforward. 

 

He’d like to be angry, to be sad, to be disappointed with all of it but he can’t do that to the people around him. 

 

Drag them into a miserable headspace all the time. He doesn’t want to go through it alone either. 

 

It’s a nice idea. 

 

Kisoon saves her number as Doctor Yoo. “Double it up. Hit me up if it’s a literal heartbreak or the one you’re having right now. I don’t mind which,” the woman mutters. Her body feels hot from all the alcohol, face red until the tip of her ears. 

 

Hyunwoo saves his own on Kisoon’s as Chief Son. He feels a bit giddy from it all, knowing he has someone to rant it out to without guilt or worry. “Aren’t you a paediatrician?”

 

The doctor drums her finger softly on the coffee table. “Well,your wife treats you like a kid.”

 

He snorts but laughs anyways. 

 

Maybe it’s the drunken atmosphere or maybe it’s their misfortunate circumstance, or even them thinking it’s a pitiful pathetic situation that makes Hyunwoo thinks this is an okay first step to recovery. 

 

In any way, Hyunwoo’s gut feelings tell him that maybe this friendship, born out of misfortune, out of a heartbreak, out of two broken marriages is something that’ll end up good. For both him and Kisoon. 

 

The champagne, though sweet in the beginning, bitter midway, brings an amazing aftertaste in the end. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i cant promise more chapters since these are spontaneous, but thank you for liking this au enough for wanting to see more of it!!! c:

“It’s done!”

 

Hyunwoo doesn’t question the exclaimed statement or the spontaneity of it, but shares the happiness regardless. 

 

In front of him lies a copy of Kisoon’s divorce ruling, a document she’s been anticipating for for the past year. His own is stored in a cabinet somewhere collecting dust or eaten away by termites. Not that he cares what happens to them. 

 

(But he has to - the terms written on it are the only reason why he hasn’t shredded them yet.) 

 

Kisoon stands tall and proud, hands on her hips and chest jutted out in pride. It took a frustrating year but she’s finally,  _ finally _ out of that marriage. 

 

The chief looks over it. His eyes scan the envelope the court seals it in, the envelope that screams the end of a supposed happy ever after. Ironically, the marriage they wasn’t a happy ever after in the end. The divorce is. 

 

“Why did it take a year again?” Hyunwoo asks, his hands itching to open the document even when he knows what’s inside. He’s the one who helped Kisoon figure out what she could take, what she could leave behind. Inside lies their midnight conversations in black and white. 

 

It took a year because Hoseok is a shameless man. Begging for forgiveness, how he shouldn’t have done it, how he wants a second chance. Hyunwoo recalls Kisoon stabbing her fork into chicken chop muttering about how they sat down and talked about it. 

 

How long Hoseok has been doing it (they’ve been married for three years,  _ three _ . And two out of that three, he’s spent more time in other beds while Kisoon’s bed is the chair in the hospital.) 

 

How many times, how many  _ people _ (Kisoon has an answer to all those times Hoseok leaves the house at midnight, saying his friend needs help. She didn’t think it was help in the libido sense. Stupid,  _ stupid. _ ) 

 

He remembers a time, a few months ago when they got drunk again - this time it’s Hyunwoo’s courtesy: the wine he received and kept since the reception dinner of his own shambled marriage. Kisoon, out of bitterness but too exhausted for more feelings anchoring her down to her heartbreak, but too petty to let it be left unsaid:  _ This guy had the balls to tell me he doesn’t want to touch me because I’m too good even when I told him I’m not a virgin, that it’s okay to want me. Holy fuck, he’s right, I’m too good for him.  _

 

In the end, it’s done and gone. No more seeing their exes’ faces, no more being in their lives except on that paper. 

 

Kisoon celebrates by asking Hyunwoo’s Alexa to play EXID’s Lie. Then breaks into a dance that disgraces Hyunwoo’s new apartment in poor taste. 

 

“Stop dancing. Your dance smells,” the policeman whines. It feels like he got violated. The secondhand embarrassment is too much for a person to bear alone. 

 

Kisoon doesn’t stop, just dances even worse on purpose. 

 

“No, I can’t do this in the hospital because of Changkyun. I have the right to do it here.”

 

“On what ground?” Hyunwoo snorts. “Do it at your own place.”

 

“I’m here more often than I am at my own house. It’s your fault, therefore I have the right!”

 

Ah, that’s right. Kisoon’s new place is further than Hyunwoo’s from the hospital she works at.  _ I just need a space to put my stuff while sorting it out. Get things done.  _ It’s basically her storeroom. She’s lucky her residency ended a year before the whole fiasco - most of what she earned during that year went to key money, the rest goes to severing her ties with Hoseok in all sorts of ways. 

 

Including paying off the shared loan for the house they used to live in  _ together. As a married couple.  _  Just to make sure there’s nothing left. 

 

Hyunwoo’s place isn’t small per say. It’s comfy, perfect for a trio of occupants. The master bedroom is his, the other bedrooms became his home office and personal gym. But he’s rarely at home, Hyunwoo wonders why he bothers setting it up as such. 

 

Can it even be called home? 

 

Kisoon continues to dance. This time doing Hyewon’s seaweed dance that looks just as ridiculous if the original does it. 

 

Hyunwoo doesn’t have any plan to stop her. The embarrassment will kick in sooner or later and unlike most situations, she can’t hide herself behind Hyunwoo this time. Maybe she’ll curl up and cower as she pleads for death to claim her. 

 

The sound of boiling soup alerts him, bringing his attention to the bubbling steamboat they’re supposed to eat. The cookware’s outer rings are divided into three and Hyunwoo makes use of this: seafood for himself, chicken for Kisoon, veggies for the both of them. The middle’s reserved for buttered pork belly, a perfect complement to the soju the doctor brought along. 

 

He reaches out to take a bite of the pork and as soon as it lands in his mouth, the flavour bursts on his tongue. 

 

Kisoon scowls. “You have that look again.” 

 

“Jooheon said I’m more expressive when I’m eating.” he takes another. 

 

It’s  _ so _ good. 

 

“I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing,” she pauses “I just find it unfair that you look attractive even when you have that angry constipated look on your face whenever you do. I don’t know how you do it.”

 

He doesn’t know either because that’s the first time he’s heard of it. Sure, Jooheon had said he’s a heartthrob but Jooheon admires him as a role model. A good bed and grilled shrimps are the only things that can make Hyewon’s feel  _ anything _ . Changkyun’s fascination lies in his arms that’s marked with the boy’s bites. So, Kisoon’s words makes him ponder. 

 

“I’m attractive?” Hyunwoo asks. He sips a spoonful of broth and hisses when the ehat burns his tongue. 

 

The doctor squints her eyes, the creases on her chin making their signature appearance whenever she frowns. “Is this a trick question? Even if I was still married, I’d still find you attractive, you know.”

 

“It’s just that people often trail to my shoulders or torso. They call me Showbot because of my face.”

 

“That’s a charm of yours, isn’t it?” Kisoon opens a bottle and pours a shot for Hyunwoo. “Dior didn’t think so?”

 

She did, Hyunwoo remembers all of it. But that was back then - when he was fine with being the best man in Dior’s eyes, Dior who was his world, when he was fine not being so to everyone else. When he didn’t know he wasn’t the one Dior loved anymore. 

 

The broth tastes a bit bland now, Hyunwoo thinks. He could’ve sworn he didn’t add anything else to it. 

 

“Hey”

 

A squeeze on his shoulders. 

 

Kisoon’s hands are small but her grip is strong. Firm. 

 

“It’ll take time, but I’ll be here for you.”

 

Hyunwoo knows. 

 

He knows it’s close to none about the leftover love he felt for Dior (all that has been thrown away, the night she said she’s sorry and then blamed him for never being home.) 

 

It’s not about the bitter feelings he felt, no,  he’s not insecure about what Hoseok has that he doesn’t 

 

(He’s not a teen. If he isn’t enough, then he isn’t. It was Dior’s decision.) 

 

He thinks about how much his life had changed. If he hadn’t gone back that night and didn’t see their adulterous rendezvous, he’d still be wearing his wedding band in oblivion. Thinking his wife is probably faithful to him, her companion maybe a dog that they’d adopt. Maybe having dinner together on this night, at this moment with her instead of Doctor Yoo, another person of his own circumstance. 

 

Kisoon might be eating with Hoseok at this moment too. Might be happy thinking she’d finally get some time with her beloved husband who’s sworn to love her through thick and thin. 

 

But he didn’t. Ignorance was and never will be bliss to him. 

 

His work finished up early, he went to the house to see his wife after a week being stuck at the station. He saw and left, he told and broke. 

 

Recovery wasn’t easy. Excruciating, heartbreaking, remorseful. 

 

But, Hyunwoo’s glad he did it. 

 

The wedding band’s pawned off and the mark left on his finger no longer brings him dread like how it had a few months back. 

 

It feels a bit liberating. 

 

The soup Kisoon feeds him from her share is warm.

 

It tastes like progress. 


	3. Chapter 3

Hyunwoo’s lucky it’s his day off. Seungwan had an emergency meeting at her office and he was the only one available to look after her baby Jooyeon. 

 

But his cousin forgot to mention that the poor girl is sick. The child shakes in Hyunwoo’s arms, crying from the blistering headache and the contrast of the cold air conditioner breeze and the rising heat of her body. 

 

“Jooyeon-ah, I’ll get you some ice cream later, okay?” he kneads Jooyeon’s back in between her shoulder blades and his heart breaks when the girl releases a sob. “I’ll get your favourite. Three scoops of it, how does that sound?” She nods as much as she can in her weak state then curls deeper into her uncle’s hold. 

 

It’s still lunch break so there are plenty of people before their turn comes by. There are around eight or ten people left and the policeman decides it’s enough time to go down and get a cup of milk for the child. 

 

He rests Jooyeon gently on the seats, apologising to the guardians and children for bothering them but they return him with a sympathetic nod and smile. 

 

“I’m going to get you milk. It won’t take long, alright? If anything happens, you know what to do.”

 

Jooyeon nods. In her hand is a cheap phone, one that’s meant for children in cases of emergency. Hyunwoo made Seungwan buy it for her the moment the kid entered elementary earlier in the year. 

 

With a quick caress of her hair, Hyunwoo kisses the crown of her head and walks out of the room. 

 

The hospital has a cafe open to all - its staffs, patients, and visitors. 

 

The queue is short, possibly because it’s nearly time for the usual lunch break to end and people rushing back to work after their trip. It gives Hyunwoo enough time to pick his own drink from the array of choices displayed on the large menu. 

 

The ones in front of him are doctors on breaks, he assumes from the get up and unhurried chatter they’re having with one another. 

 

“The paediatric area is so cute. Just looking at the place rejuvenates me.”

 

The doctor behind leans forward, arms locked. “It’s the kids. It’s so funny how they cry and then get all happy once you give them a toy,” she chuckles. 

 

Paediatric, huh? 

 

How is it like to be Kisoon for a day? Hyunwoo ponders. 

 

Probably disastrous. 

 

He’s not good with kids, despite liking them. Something about his awkwardness that largens the wedge between him and children. The only reasons why Jooyeon likes him is because he’s her uncle and grew up having him in her life. His luck with other kids is close to zero. 

 

Jooheon deals with the kids whenever there are any, which Hyunwoo is extremely grateful for because jt’s a rare occurance. He sticks to the riskier ones - chasing, tasering, arresting, hitting. Shooting. None of those occasions a child should experience. 

 

The dangerous ones. 

 

Kids don’t like dangerous people. 

 

Years of taekwondo and swimming bear fruit in the form of muscles accentuating his form and training at the police academy improved his strength greatly aside from his regular workouts. Hyewon chides him from time to time for never being aware of how strong he could be and the proofs lies in the bruises she gets whenever Hyunwoo finds it funny to knock into her. 

 

It’s not his fault that she’s a paper doll. 

 

Hyunwoo doubts he can control his strength when it comes to kids. They’re vulnerable and fragile. If he accidentally bumps into one, he’ll probably hurt them. 

 

He met up with the doctor quite a number of times already. Sometimes spending time at a newly opened café as they talk about their new lives. 

 

The topic of their exes had been buried long time ago as there wasn’t anything left to say but new things keep coming up. Hyunwoo thinks it’s nice that even after the divorce was settled and they have nothing to do with each other except for this circumstance they’re squeezed into - Kisoon still asks him when he’s free for a bowl of jajjangmyeon. 

 

He can tell that she’s a caring person from the way she nags about Changkyun - the resident Kisoon took under her wing.

 

She has only met Hyewon and Jooheon thrice yet occasionally as she would stuff her mouth with cake, the doctor asks how they’ve been faring. 

 

Hyunwoo doesn’t doubt that this profession is perfect for someone like her. 

 

 

 

“Son Jooyeon?”

 

The girl sniffs. Hyunwoo’s handkerchief had gotten wet from her tears. Tissues aren’t really a thing he considers essential. 

 

The nurse smiles at the pair as he guides them into a room and Hyunwoo raises his eyebrows at the nameplate on the door. 

 

Oh. 

 

He smiles wide as he nudges carries Jooyeon in his arms and sits her on his lap. “Hello, Doctor Yoo.”

 

Kisoon laughs, pearly whites and a silver tooth peeking out. She gives him her own hello and leans down to look at Jooyeon in the eyes. “Hey there Jooyeon, how are you feeling?”

 

“Hot. Hurts.”

 

The doctor hums in sympathy, her right hand resting on her warm forehead. She takes out an ear thermometer and slips the tip into the child’s ear canals and Jooyeon whimpers in discomfort. 

 

When the thermometer’s done taking her temperature, Kisoon frowns at the numbers. The doctor presses the diaphragm of her stethoscope against Jooyeon’s chest and listens attentively. “Bad news, she does have a high fever. Good news, I can write an MC for Jooyeon so she wouldn’t have to go to school for three days.”

 

The girl brightens up almost instantly - as if forgetting that she’s ill in favour of not going to school for half the week. 

 

Hyunwoo chuckles. There’s never a time when he doesn’t think his beloved niece is cute but when she’s elated, the sparkles in her eyes make her more adorable. He plays with her hair happy that Jooyeon smiled. 

 

Kisoon finishes writing her prescription, one that she hands over to a nurse she called over. “You know where to get the prescription?” Hyunwoo nods. 

 

He’s familiar with the process, being a regular at the hospital yet the nature of his work doesn’t land him a chance to know of Kisoon until that night. 

 

“Thank you, Ki. I’ll text you later, “ the officer bounces Jooyeon in his hold and the girl wraps her arms around his neck. Kisoon’s smile didn’t leave her face and the crescents below her eyes get deeper. 

 

“Bye-bye, Jooyeon-ah. See you later, Officer Son.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

“You know Doctor Yoo?” is the first thing Jooyeon asks after waking up. She seems to be healing fine given the burst of energy she currently has. 

 

Or maybe she’s motivated by being a nosy kid. 

 

Hyunwoo replaces the towel on her forehead with a newer one. “Remember when I told mummy I have a friend who helped me with Aunty Dior?”

 

“She’s not Aunty Dior anymore,” Jooyeon mutters but nods her head. 

 

“Doctor Yoo is that friend.”

 

A long wah leaves the girl’s mouth in what Hyunwoo finds as amazement. 

 

She rolls over in her bed completely ignoring the man’s attempt in replacing the wet towel. “Doctor Yoo is a nice doctor. She’s a nice friend, too.” The twinkle in her eyes makes Hyunwoo’s heart swell with adoration. 

 

Kids are so precious. 

 

“I’m happy she’s that friend,” Jooyeon says. 

 

Hyunwoo doesn’t know why Jooyeon said so, what she meant by those words. Doesn’t know what she’s thinking. 

 

Jooyeon doesn’t say any more. Her hands reposition the towels in place and she chases Hyunwoo out of her room in true childlike fashion. The man kisses her goodnight on her forehead and heads outside. He has to catch up on the reports, after all. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An hour later, when the words strain his eyes and he’s about to ask Kisoon for another chance at opening heart to the beautiful world of seafood, Hyunwoo finds himself strangely and unapologetically glad for the infidelity. 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: keep it short u fool 1200 and nothing more
> 
> also me: *reaches 1900+*

“Gift for ya, Chief.”

 

Hyunwoo looks away from the paperwork that had been haunting him for nights, fazed by the smell of grilled beef pouring out of the container set in front of him. He hums an approval at the mouth-watering thought. 

 

Jooheon snatches the container away before the older could touch it. “Nu’uh. Where’s your thanks?” he demands purposefully sounding like a brat. 

 

“You didn’t cook that.”

 

“Kisoon-noona’s outside with Hyewon and Johnny.”

 

“Why didn’t she come in here herself?”

 

Jooheon looks him over once, then again. He scowls at the wrinkles finding home in Hyunwoo’s dress shirt and the dark circles under his eyes. “No offence, hyung but you look terrifying. “

 

“She’s seen me shitfaced and piss-drunk. Sober and exhausted me is scarier?”

 

The younger scoffs. “Drunk, homebody Son Hyunwoo has nothing on sleep-deprived, caffeine-blooded Officer Son.” He knows this well - had been on the receiving end of both Hyunwoo for the past few years since their academy days. 

 

Drunk Hyunwoo is a man made of iron - untameable strength but complies within a heartbeat. Coffee-operated Hyunwoo is a fury of unleashed frustration and is as stubborn as a mule. Officer Son does not believe in rest until the work is done. 

 

The chief feels a jab to his heart. He’s a bit offended at what Jooheon insinuated. 

 

Hyunwoo winces recalling all the times he had lashed out at the younger cop and really - everyone else in the station. Had he been scary all those times? 

 

“Hyung.”

 

He tries his best to keep them in line ensuring their discipline and performance are at best while checking in on their morality. His station had been acknowledged for their excellent work but nothing hinted of their standards of well-being. Had he failed them? 

 

“Hyung.”

 

Did he prioritise justice over mercy that much? But that’s his job… surely he should be a bit lenient towards his subordinates and not subject them to a firm hand all the time. Is that what he does? Does the station resent him in secret? 

 

“God fucking dammit, Hyung. Will you listen to me?”

 

Jooheon shakes the container, its contents hitting the insides loud enough to snatch Hyunwoo out of his thoughts. “Are you overthinking things again? You’re the Chief and in charge of safety and lives. There’s nothing wrong with having an iron hand.”

 

The blond shoves the packed food in his face, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. 

 

“You can eat here hunched over reports you probably won’t make any progress at all until tomorrow or you can go out of the office for once and eat with us.”

 

If Hyunwoo looks at Jooheon in the eyes, he’ll falter and say yes. He’s weak to the boy, got a soft spot for him ever since the blond’s first day at the academy and he was the senior that looked after him. 

 

The paperwork is definitely more interesting. 

 

He is not going to fall for Jooheon’s pout. 

 

Not today. 

 

“Hyung!” The younger officer gasps, refusing to believe Hyunwoo opted for a stay in the room. “Do you not love me anymore?”

 

“Don’t bring that into this.”

 

Jooheon stomps his feet, mimicking a child’s tantrum. “It has everything to do with this! You don’t love me anymore, your junior, your younger brother, your son-” 

 

“Joo, stop being dramatic. ”

 

“- you don’t want to spend time with me anymore! Okay. Fine. I get it. Totally,’ he huffs, eyes turning to crescents hiding away his brown iris and plump lips curving upwards in a frown. 

 

Honestly, sometimes the blond sulks like a 6 year old who has yet to grasp the concept of sharing. 

 

Good thing Hyunwoo loves Jooheon no matter how much of a little bitch he can be. 

 

He knows what Jooheon’s trying to pull - throw a fit and pulling the favourite kid card on him. Act like a child with an inattentive dad on the weekend just to get Hyunwoo do what he wants. He’s not stupid. Jooheon’s too obvious and never changed his tactics. 

 

“Hyung.”

 

Oh, the pen ran out of ink. 

 

“Hyuuuung.”

 

He hasn’t done the laundry yet. 

 

“HyuuuuuuuUuUuUUUUUung.”

 

Wow, he should really set up a fly trap in the office soon. 

 

“Ugh, fine! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” the younger snaps, turns on his heels with the container in hand and leaves the room exuding frustration. 

 

He didn’t have to leave with the food. Hyunwoo bites his tongue. He hasn’t eaten homemade food in days. No offence to the nearby pojangmacha but the idea of cooking for people you love and care for makes the taste more vivid. 

 

Hyunwoo shrugs, deciding Jooheon’s better off sulking in Hyewon’s arms than in his presence. He returns back to the monotonous pace drowning in agony wanting to send them all to the recycling station. 

 

I just wanna go home. 

 

 

 

“You look like shit.”

 

Kisoon leans on the doorframe, eyeing the pathetic state the chief is in. She’s on leave and took the opportunity to come to the station bearing home cooked food: a divine rarity considering her schedule is still packed due the lack of doctors. 

 

So to see Hyunwoo letting Jooheon go without even opening the container kind of hurt. 

 

Prior to entering, she snatched it away from the boy and in all of his sulking glory, Jooheon begged the doctor to drag him out. 

 

(Kisoon is a petite woman who hasn’t practised taekwondo in nearly a decade. She has no time for gym. 

 

Jooheon on the other hand trained for strength and stamina - the ideal build to be the hero of the day. 

 

Hyewon snorts.) 

 

She dumps the container in front of the policeman, the impact loud in the room. “You’re eating with us.” Hyunwoo reminds her of a confused bear whatnot with the way he looked left and right. “I’m talking about you.”

 

“No.”

 

“You can’t say no.”

 

“I can. No. See, it’s really easy. Now, go away.”

 

“Oppa, you look like you ate grinded coffee dry with nothing else.”

 

“And what about it?”

 

Kisoon gasps. 

 

Did he really just say that in front of a doctor? 

 

She inches closer to his face, noses close to touching. Kisoon locks gazes with him, a dare for the other to fight back. 

 

“I’ll go and eat whatever food you choose. No chicken for a month. In exchange, you’re coming with me. Outside. Now,” the doctor grits her teeth. Kisoon’s well aware of how desperate Hyunwoo is to convert her into an avid seafood lover (Hyewon but tinier, angrier, neater, louder). 

 

“Golaebul?”

 

God, Kisoon can already smell the stench of raw fish and the image of its dead eyes bore into her mind. The taste of seawater lies on the tip of her tongue. 

 

Reluctantly, she grunts a yes. 

 

At the victory, Hyunwoo pumps his fist and gets up, leaving his spot and stretches. The cracks are audible and the doctor grimaces. 

 

How long has he been sitting…?

 

She needs to get him a massage chair. 

 

 

 

 

Jooheon munches through his beef with large bites, cheeks puffed out and round - full of chewed rice and torn apart beef slices. “I can’t believe it took a fish for you to get out of that prison.”

 

“Jooheon,” Hyewon sips “we work in a station where we occasionally detain people in cells alike to the prison’s.”

 

The taste is heavenly. She makes it obvious by the slurping and as gross as it sounds with the tremble of disgust running through, Kisoon takes it as a compliment. 

 

Hyewon grabs another sliced grilled beef, her mouth gaping at the shine. “It’s not my fault seafood is the gift of the gods. Have you ever eaten sushi? Chinese steamed fish? Grilled tiger king prawns? Sweet and sour crab cooked with egg? The gods decided we are worthy to be blessed by this miracle therefore I shall vore it whole.”

 

The boy scrunches. “Did you have to say vore? Really?”

 

The other young officer sticks her tongue out in retaliation. She’ll shove a damn crab leg down her throat if she could. 

 

Hyunwoo treats the bicker as white noise, enjoying the warmth of the melting taste. “Ah, that reminds me. I should go visit Namgwangju market this weekend.” Hyewon’s ears perk up and Kisoon finds interest in the topic. “You’re going to Gwangju, oppa?” the doctor pokes a toothpick into a slice and motions for the chief to accept it. 

 

The man gratefully takes it in one bite. “Yeah, I ‘m going there to take care of some stuff. The three of us are gonna transfer to a station there within a few months but I’m transferring there earlier than these two.”

 

“Gwangju’s home. My family knows Jooheon so he’ll be staying at my parents’ house with me. They don’t know about Hyunwoo-oppa though so he’ll have to search for a place,” Hyewon answers in between her bites. The memories of her childhood home makes her heart warm. 

 

The doctor laughs at how messy Jooheon is eating, it reminds her of her patients all too tiny and childlike. 

 

She takes a tissue and pats the boy’s face taking away the stray bits of rice at his chin. “I’m going to transfer to Gwangju soon too. The hospital’s opening a smaller branch there. Changkyun might follow me since he applied for it and kind of gained favour of the board. He’s from Gwangju too.”

 

“The area doesn’t have much people so I’m hoping for lesser chaos but I doubt that’ll happen,” the doctor sighs. 

 

A loud thud resounds in the air. Jooheon’s wincing while Hyewon’s smiling all too knowingly. With tapping fingers, Hyewon suggests, “Why don’t you two live together? Cohabitat, y’know.”

 

Jooheon shoots her a glare. 

 

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”

 

This time, Kisoon guffaws. Hyunwoo shrugs. 

 

“It’ll be cheaper and easier won’t it? We won’t have to room with strangers,” he offers as if it was a perfect reason to proceed with the suggestion. 

 

Hyewon’s smile curls even more. 

 

“Right?” she digs into her lunch, hiding a snicker. “Think of the benefits, eonnie. Cheap stuff.”

 

It isn’t appropriate for an unmarried (well, they are unmarried) man and woman to cohabitat in South Korea’s conservative society. Moreover, they’re friends so the only way for Kisoon to avoid getting calls from her traditional parents is to lie altogether. 

 

Still, it does hold a promise of a sustainable living that can have her wallet live another day. 

 

The prospect of living together with Hyunwoo is nice: extra money for food and data not to mention she could maybe buy that watch she’s been eyeing.

 

It’s clear as day to the duo that Kisoon’s considering that option while Hyunwoo’s already thinking of how to budget for two: something he bases off on how he’s seen the doctor live. 

 

Jooheon doesn’t want to turn away from his food. 

 

He doesn’t want any part of this, as much as he wants it to happen, as much as how good he thinks if it does happen. 

 

He doesn’t want to acknowledge Hyewon’s growing smirk that tells him the stupid self-proclaimed Cupid Chae is making a comeback and it’s done on their boss. 

 

 

 

 

 

(But later when it’s 3AM at the station and the chief seems refreshed and doesn’t look like he’s been pulling all-nighters for a year even though it’s the dead of the night, Jooheon thinks of how lucky his hyung is.

 

He wonders if he’ll ever meet someone who’ll care for him as much as Kisoon does for Hyunwoo. )

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sometimes, it's not the exes they're thinking of. it's the meaning behind each act and critically analysing every memory down to the very first one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do i do when i'm frustrated? write things in one go and on a whim. hence, another spontaneous update. anyway, it's super short!!! :)
> 
> at this point, they've probably known each other for 6-7 months. realistically, they're still healing. but this is fiction so let's get it

Kisoon is used to dropping by at Hyunwoo’s place, not the other way around. The notion is not unwelcomed, however. 

 

But the burden that wears Hyunwoo down is. 

 

She opts out alcohol - doubts it’s good for the policeman’s workload. He’ll get deadset on being drunk in this state. A hangover at work is not appropriate in his field, especially one of his status. 

 

Hyunwoo doesn’t say anything, just gazes longingly at the television flashing images he can’t process. 

 

“I met Min-Ok yesterday.”

 

Min-Ok is Dior’s sister, from what Kisoon remembers. While Dior pursued a career as a secretary, Min-Ok stayed in Gwangju as an art teacher. 

 

The man probably didn’t expect to see his ex-wife’s sister on his trip considering the population total but really, he should’ve considering Dior’s family is all over Gwangju. Escape would be near impossible. 

 

She hears him heave a loud exhale as if he’s trying to control himself. There’s an audible shake and Kisoon doesn’t doubt that he’s about to cry. 

 

“She told me that she’s sorry for what Dior did. That what she did was inexcusable.”

 

The doctor’s hands gently courses over tuffs of his hair - it’s soft, kind, and caring.  _ It’s true that doctors are nurturers then _ , Hyunwoo muses. He had figured Kisoon is a natural. There’s something about the way she handles children from infants to teenagers that makes him think she’s the best he has ever seen. 

 

(He’s seen a lot. As Jooyeon’s guardian on some trips, as the guy who’s assigned to watch over ill kids - victims of their parents’ twisted _ , sick _ plans - he’s had his fair share of paediatricians. 

 

He loves Kisoon’s touch the most.)

 

He’s grateful - an understatement but there isn’t any word that can portray it any better - that Kisoon opened the door at 9PM when the chilling autumn air hasn’t dried his tears yet. He’s thankful that the other had him inside with a face full of understanding when he shouldn’t have imposed on her relaxing night like this; a doctor who does everything she can to have her patients outlive their dues.

 

Hyunwoo can’t say any of those. 

 

The words are stuck in his throat and the anchor on his heart, his gut, it’s too heavy for him to lift. 

 

He curls up on the sofa too small for his size, head resting atop Kisoon’s thighs. “I don’t love her anymore, she’s nothing to me now so why am I like this?” his question comes out in croaks of sobs. 

 

“I saw Hoseok the other day,” Hyunwoo stills, “He seems to be doing fine, living his life well.”

 

“Kisoon-ah-”

 

She shakes her head, Hyunwoo backs down. 

 

“I didn’t feel anything at first. He’s a stranger now, so it made sense. Then I saw Dior coming up to him and giving him a peck on the cheek.”

 

The anger boils in him. It’s unfair. Why do people like them get it easy? 

 

Kisoon notices Hyunwoo’s furrowed brows and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I ran out. I kind of cried. Changkyun might be doing his residency for paediatrics, but the moment he saw me cry, he went all Socrates.”

 

“Men are dogs.”

 

Kisoon pulls a hair strand. 

 

“Don’t insult dogs. Men are lower than that.”

 

“Pigs?”

 

“Pork is delicious, you can’t say that either.”

 

“So fish.”

 

The doctor nods. 

 

“I don’t understand your hatred towards fish. You’re dumb,” Hyunwoo gets up from his spot. Despite Kisoon gently combing his hair with her short stubby fingers (that are in no way close to the teeth of a comb, what can she expect? Neat hair?) Hyunwoo seemed like he just woke up with bed hair. 

 

The doctor sports mock anger, “Says the guy who can’t even run in circles?” She chuckles. The man can do everything but run in circles, she’s seen it firsthand when Jooheon and Changkyun beat him in FIFA not once, not twice, but five times. The ass kicking they got went glaring red for a week straight. 

 

Her chuckles die down and erenity washes over them. 

 

The quiet is still threatened by topic of their exes, none of the two daring to breach it yet.

 

It left them with memories to doubt and they’re counting down to the very first - where did it come from? 

 

When did it go wrong? 

 

The clock is loud, its tick tock filling in the spaces left behind by the chatter of the characters in the drama they’re watching. 

 

The main characters aren’t in a complicated romance. It’s straightforward - blunt where running away isn’t an option,and their feelings surface above the water. There’s no push and pull, no hard chasing, no agonising pining, no antagonist that sets a misunderstanding and pushes them back to square one. 

 

It’s an honest kind of love. 

 

And he wants that kind of love. 

 

“I want to have someone to spend my future with,” Hyunwoo declares with finality. “Where did I go wrong that I can’t have that?”

 

Kisoon hums, her fingers trail to the lobes of Hyunwoo’s ears in an effort to calm him down. She rubs the flesh between her thumb and index. “Maybe it’s right.”

 

The other squints. 

 

“Maybe that needed to happen for you to have the right person.”

 

Hyunwoo scoffs. “I thought she was the right person to marry. Turns out, she’s the right person to break me.”

 

“Hey.”

 

The man faces her, letting her revel in his vulnerability. He doesn’t want to admit that the affair affected him that much - not after spending years mocking drama characters for being irrational after such things.

 

That he can move on quick because people like those don’t deserve him. 

 

(As it turns out, it’s not the person. 

 

You can forget the person. 

 

It’s the act that shatters them into bits of pieces.

 

You can’t forgive the act.)

 

Kisoon cups his face in her small hands. “You’ll find someone. Maybe soon. Maybe later. Maybe you’ve met them already.” Seeing the pout the chief  gives her, she laughs. It’s a cute look, really. “Just give it some time. You’ll get there one day.”

 

Hyunwoo wants to believe it  _ so bad _ . He has a successful career, good relationship with his family and friends, an excellent reputation.

 

But he wants someone too; craves the lifelong companionship, desires to love and care for someone and be loved. 

 

Itches for the romantic happy ever after he sees in stories. 

 

He lets Kisoon run fingers in his hair again, liking the way her fingers play. 

 

Hyunwoo drowns in his own dreams, ones that resonate Kisoon’s words again and again hoping they’ll come to realisation one day. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3-5 months after the previous chapter!

Foreseeing, as they failed to account for, is not their forte. 

 

“That better stays in your room.”

 

“It’s a cute elf.”

 

“Did I stutter? That abomination should not ever ever see the light of day.”

 

Hyunwoo pouts, putting down the wooden figure. It’s not that ugly - really, he wants to get it for the fun of it but Kisoon shares half of the living space of the apartment in Gwangju. She has some say in what goes into the supposed new home. 

 

“We should’ve asked for the nice looking house decor instead of more financial compensation,” the man muses. 

 

It feels great to have a non-depleted bank account but the stress from all the shopping births slight regret. It never was important to him - a bed, a kitchen, a shower, then he’s good to go. The living room was nothing but a place for him to work on the reports from home anyway. 

 

Kisoon scowls finding distaste in Hyunwoo’s sense of humour. 

 

“Don’t subject our apartment to weird things. Hyewon, Jooheon, and Changkyun are enough to turn it into a circus exhibition.” 

 

Hyunwoo picks up a vase. 

 

It’s a porcelain of a wolf with one of its hind legs up. Presumably peeing. 

 

She doesn’t know how he can hold that in his hands with a poker face. Then again, Hyunwoo’s capable of nearly everything. 

 

She gives an accusing glare at the innocent porcelain - born either from amusement or a poor taste in decorations, subjected to become an accessory that’ll probably become a laughing stock. “Is that for Changkyun?”

 

The chief nods. 

 

Well, as long as it doesn’t sit inside their apartment as a permanent fix, that’s fine. 

 

Hyunwoo huffs in success and holds it secure in his arms, as if it’s a newborn child. The image is hilarious so Kisoon walks ahead, fast in her footsteps in case someone associates her with him. 

 

The embarrassment is for him to bear solo. 

 

They wander for a while longer scanning the aisles of the living concept floor taking in the stacks of decor and kitchenware, then testing the pillows debating if they should just buy them later. It isn’t as if Gwangju doesn’t have their own malls. 

 

By the end of it, the pair decided their current belongings were enough and the trip to the mall is useless. 

 

They’re going to leave the mall empty handed except for…

 

“Oh God.”

 

“What is it?”

 

Kisoon points to Hyunwoo’s arms. “That thing is the only thing we have. You go to the cashier.”

 

The scandalous look Kisoon has sends him into a fit of snickers. “Is it making you uncomfortable?” he inches closer to the doctor. “Is it? Changkyun Junior? ” Hyunwoo lifts it up and shoves it in her face, sporting a grin across his face. 

 

“First of all,” she scowls finding the up close view of the wolf is just as gross as she thought it is, “Don’t ever say Changkyun Jr ever again. Secondly, yes. Now put that disgusting thing away from me.”

 

“You know - you hurt the sculptor’s feelings.”

 

“So what?” Kisoon retorts, eyes already refusing to look at Hyunwoo. 

 

“And there’s no way they decided to sell this if there isn’t a demand for it in the first place.”

 

“To each their own.”

 

“Kinkshaming is not a nice thing to do, Kisoon-ah,” he whistles. Kisoon’s face is beet red, a shade that he finds funny on her. 

 

It’s endearing too - how easily her cheeks and ears becoming the colour of pink roses. 

 

“I’m not kinkshaming. If that’s what you’re into then sure, go ahead. Don’t involve me,” she clarifies, a straightened posture to help her stand her ground. “Just. Could you please go pay for it now and have it hidden by a bag so I won’t have to see it ever again?”

 

Hyunwoo snorts and whisks away, muttering a soft Kyun would put it in your office anyway. 

 

She mentally notes to change the keys. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They should’ve known that Valentine’s meant full cafés and their only option was to drink on the way home. 

 

Kisoon kicks a pebble, grunting her dissatisfaction. Valentine’s had long become a means of profit when everything’s jacked up to thrice the original price and couples too blinded by love and their desire to shower their beloved in it unfortunately encourages the scam by indulging in the tactics. 

 

Hyunwoo calls her a killjoy. 

 

The woman pinches his biceps, careful to not spill her cappuccino. It’s fruitless because Spring hasn’t greeted them yet so the thick layers of Hyunwoo’s coat saves him from an incoming bruise. 

 

“One day, you’ll get a taste of my finger flick.”

 

He hums. “You know you have to be at least Jooheon-height to do it?”

 

“I’ll do it when you’re sitting down,” she huffs in determination. The doctor finds relief in the warmth seeping through the cup reaching her left hand, cursing her stupidity for not putting on gloves. “Should’ve bought gloves now my right hand’s going to freeze off.” 

 

The warmth isn’t enough for both of her hands and the lining of her pockets aren’t thick enough - she paid so much for a nice winter coat only to find out it should’ve been sold in the autumn collection. It doesn’t fight off the cold as much as she’d like and her only salvation is the sorry excuse of an outer. 

 

That is until Hyunwoo slips his hand into hers. 

 

Kisoon throws him a look. 

 

“It’ll be worse if you put your hand in my pocket. We’ll look like conjoined penguins,” he explains, shrugging nonchalantly. 

 

The woman accepts the reason and grips the hand in a tight hold. 

 

It’s kind of nice. 

 

“Your hand’s so tiny,” Hyunwoo notes. He knows hers are small in comparison to everyone he knows, probably the smallest if he didn’t count the kids. He’s said it so many times but everytime he holds them - so small and chubby in his big hands. They might get crushed if Hyunwoo isn’t careful. 

 

(He’s done it to Hyewon before, but the woman’s a paper doll. Does she count?) 

 

Kisoon whines like she always does whenever they bring up this topic. Her size has been the subject of Hyewon’s entertainment ever since they met and the taller finds amusement in her refutes. 

 

“My pinky’s so short…” a pout emerges and all Hyunwoo wants to do is laugh. He keeps it to himself, unwilling to have a punch in to the arm. 

 

The pout doesn’t go away. Kisoon starts swinging their clasped hands together back and forth, stomping her feet while sipping her coffee in frustration. It reminds him of Jooheon’s sulking but with a gentler grip and weaker outbursts. 

 

(It’s like this: Jooheon complains and stomps, throwing a tantrum like a 5 year old as much as he can because he knows everyone’s weak to him and his blessed dimples and eye smiles.. 

 

Kisoon aggressively threatens people but her size makes her seem like she’s passive and all people would do are coo and find it cute. 

 

Except Jooheon would cling until he gets his way, Kisoon would stab to get her way.) 

 

“I can’t wait for spring,” she mutters, her teeth chattering against one another. Her jaw’s stiff. Kisoon’s sure to enjoy an hour or two in hot water until she turns into a prune. 

 

Hyunwoo nods in agreement. Kisoon can’t see him agree but she feels it in the way his entire body shakes along with his head. 

 

She smiles to herself thinking of a bucket list for the incoming blossom of flowers. 

 

The list gets longer by the second and soon after, it spills out of her mouth in a torrent. Her eyes sparkle by the time she’s reached the tenth activity - it twinkles in excitement and anticipation. Hyunwoo wonders if Kisoon’s already jotting down to the minute details in the same way she meticulously does her day-to-day activities. 

 

When Kisoon turns to him with a grin so wide, her silver tooth’s peeking out and the dimples beneath her eyes form, he knows this spring would bring along something new.

 

He starts to count the days until. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god i know im the one writing this but im feeling so frustrated WHY DIDNT I JUST DO THIS AS A QUICK BURN AND HAVE THEM KISS BY THE END OF THIS ALREADY???? 
> 
> oh yeah because they're still healing from their previous relationships so i gotta pour in a bit of realistim there but still............
> 
> how did a one shot became multiple chapters....... i swear this showki thirst is making me desperate


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this wasn't supposed to happen but it occured to me that it won't feel right if i don't do this before a certain part comes. also i had to churn it out as quick as possible otherwise i'd be so bothered by it i won't be able to finish my assignments on time. which i'm really sorry for btw, if it's rushed or seems inadequate!! still had to make it short (but it seems that i went over 1600........)

The blasting stereos drown most of the voices - the whispered talks and muttered gossips, but not the words Jooheon mumbles in his drunken state. 

 

“Noona.”

 

The young officer nuzzles into her neck like a baby koala, fists curled up the way his body is. It’s a strain on Kisoon’s body but that’s okay. 

 

He’s cute when he does it. Reminds her of the toddlers that she sees to. 

 

“Wanna know something?” he looks up at her with glossy eyes but his focus is somewhere else. His gaze isn’t settling on anything, really. 

 

The doctor combs her fingers through his ginger hair while Jooheon leans into the touch, purring his heart out. Like a tiny kitten. 

 

He toys with the hems of her sweater the same way his kitties, Yoshi and Gucci, do when he brings them over and nearly sobs at how soft the material is, his fingers acting like feline claws. 

 

“Jooheon?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“What were you gonna say?”

 

The boy tries to recall his train of thoughts, retracing them before his attention was caught by the clothing. It hits him like a train when he does, a gasp carrying itself out of his mouth. 

 

“Hyunwoo-hyung can shake his tiddies. Like shake shake. Vibrator mode.”

 

Kisoon snorts. “You mean vibration mode?”

 

His eyes blink rapidly in confusion, hands swinging from left to right. He’s drunk and thank God for paid leaves. 

 

A hangover is inevitable at this rate. 

 

“Flight mode! You know… flight mode… mode… vibration mode? Yeah…yeah… vibration...like...like maracas you know? Wait… not flight mode! Silent mode! Silent! Noona, you gotta be quiet now! Eheh…”

 

Jooheon’s face is flushed red and warm to the touch. He isn’t burning up, but the blood rush will subside soon when he sobers. Everyone’s too busy noticing his drunken stupor anyway. 

 

“Noona,” he pokes a cheek, pushing the tip of his index deep into the flesh. “Hyung’s really good at dancing. And singing. But dancing. He’s like a god.”

 

The older raises a brow in amusement. “Really?” It doesn’t faze her honestly. That body doesn’t come from the workload of a police alone.

 

At that, Jooheon pushes himself out of Kisoon’s lap and falls onto the floor. The fall either doesn’t hurt or he’s too drunk to notice it. Either way, the younger is too far gone for her to consider the legitimacy of his words. 

 

“Yeah! Hold on…it’s somewhere… somewhere in my phone…” he mumbles. The boy reaches for his pockets but tears up when he finds them empty. “Noona, someone stole my phone…” the words come in croaks and his lips begin to tremble. It won’t be long until he breaks into sobs like a baby. 

 

“Where’s my phone? I’m telling Hyunwoo-hyung! He’s got a black belt in taekwondo and I’m not afraid to use him!”

 

“That’s not how it goes.”

 

“Noona, you took my phone, didn’t you!? I’m a cop, I’ll arrest you!” Jooheon points at her accusingly, his body wobbling. His hands wander to the back of his pants. “Huh… my handcuffs aren’t here…” 

 

It’s a funny sight but if she laughs, Jooheon would sulk and ghost her for the rest of the week. 

 

She needs to have a dose of Jooheon’s charms daily. 

 

Kisoon sighs.

 

How did a farewell party turn into a drunk fest? Much less, a babysitting job? 

 

(The answer is Hyewon. Chae Hyewon would take any opportunity to go all out if she could. 

 

The farewell party seems to be a perfect excuse to get drunk on Wednesday night. On the other hand, Hyewon should’ve gotten a career as a DJ instead. ) 

 

She grabs Jooheon’s arms and pulls him towards her, slips it across her shoulder and hoists him up. “You’re gonna pass out any second, come on. I can’t let you fall asleep on the floor like a heathen.”

 

More mumbles spill past the younger’s lips, eyelids heavy with swirling vision. He purrs and latches his other arm onto Kisoon’s shoulders and lets himself whisked away by the other. 

 

They avoid the havoc on the floor - strews of party strings, opened wrappers, and wrappings for early housewarming gifts. The earful Hyewon and Changkyun will get is reserved for the morning to come when the hype dies and the countdown to the true farewell begins. 

 

When they reach Hyunwoo’s bed, Kisoon essentially flings him onto the bed. The cramps reside in her arms temporarily, the sudden strain on the muscles leaving subtle throbbing. Jooheon gives out a soft oof and his hands feel around the mattress. He rubs his face against the pillow, content with the safe and protective scent of his hyung. In seconds, his soft mutters turn into gentle snores and Kisoon safely assumes he’s asleep. 

 

It takes a chuckle out of the doctor. 

 

“Oh, you’re in here.”

 

She turns behind as she motions for Hyunwoo to close the door after he enters. The door shuts with a click and the shuffling next to her echoes in the room. 

 

“So…” Kisoon starts. There’s a cheeky glint in her eyes that Hyunwoo pin points as Jooheon’s fault. 

 

“So?”

 

She smiles brightly, then plops herself onto the bed sitting cross-legged. “Jooheon told me you dance and sing.” The woman stretches her arm out, her fingers swinging to and fro. “Fess up, Chief Son.”

 

Oh. 

 

Oh. 

 

“No,” Hyunwoo rejects. The tips of his ears are red and he can’t blame it on the rum. There isn’t a hint of alcohol in his system. 

 

“Yah! It can’t be embarrassing. Jooheon said you were good at it,” she whines. Kisoon’s desperate to witness a moment of it - a moment of Hyunwoo’s vulnerability where he isn’t being Chief Son, or the Son Hyunwoo she came to know through such an unconventional circumstance. 

 

She wants to know more. 

 

Kisoon rolls over to Jooheon’s right, the empty spot near him inviting. The blanket rustles a bit when she does and all that courses through Hyunwoo's thought is the resemblance of a hamster. 

 

A sleepy dwarf hamster burrowing herself in sawdust after a long day of running the wheel, to be exact. 

 

"Hyewon's a DJ, you're a dancer and a singer, what else did I not know? Kyungsoo as an actor? Ahmi is a president or something?" the woman jokes. The chuckle that echoes isn't one of bitter feelings of feeling left out but full of sincere curiosity. Most of her friends, ex-friends outside of work had been Hoseok's first and it didn't end well. 

 

Being the popular one in school brings perks even post-graduation it seems. 

 

"Former dancer and singer," Hyunwoo corrects. "Did you know Jooheon has a Soundcloud?" 

 

"No way."

 

He nods agreeing with Kisoon's disbelief. "주honey. There's some tracks he did since the academy in there."

 

She cocks her head, eyes squinting laced with mischief. 

 

"Any of them has your singing?" 

 

"Maybe. But if there are any, that's from years ago."

 

"I'll take whatever I can get. Plus, Jooheon has a Souncloud," the doctor snorts. It's not loud yet Jooheon twitches from the sound then continues to sleep in peace. 

 

It's silent except for the soft snoring from the youngest snuggling comfortably in his hyung's bed - the comfortable quiet that often washes over their conversations that doesn't force an awkward sequel or exit. 

 

"Can I listen to you sing? As in live. Right in front of me," Kisoon blurts. 

 

"But why?" the sudden question puzzles him.

 

She drums her fingers on the pillow careful to not wake Jooheon up. "I wanna experience it. It won't be the same as a recorded one."

 

Jooheon spoke of it as if it was a religious experience to hear him sing, to watch him dance. A mandatory lifetime occurrence that's a blessing to witness. That it won't feel the same as experience it through recorded mp3 files done amateurly or videos that won't do his skills justice. 

 

Of course she wants to know how it feels first hand. 

 

The truth that holds in her words stumps him. 

 

The academy was years ago - he sings better now than then because he got better through all those mini-concert-in-the-shower sessions and the karaoke nights Hyewon and Jooheon dragged him to. It pays off when they start competing for who gets the bill but this is different. 

 

He hasn't sung for anyone since he graduated from the academy and got into the workforce. Sure, Hyunwoo had sang in the kitchen before or to the radio at work where everyone can hear him but that doesn't mean he sang for someone. 19 year old Hyunwoo did it for fun, did it for Jooheon who wanted to do something with his favourite hyung even if it was with a cheap microphone and a crack of some musical instrument software. 

 

His voice had gotten deeper over the years. He's gotten more stable with his notes with his subordinates commenting on how he sounds like each time Hyunwoo steps into the zone. In comparison to then, the him of today can do better but is the passion there? Can he even sing for someone anymore? 

 

One look at Kisoon's eager eyes and glowing face coaxes him, _drags_ him into it. 

 

He can try. 

 

Hyunwoo has to try.

 

"One day. I'll sing to you one day."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wasn't sure if i should go with 'i'll sing for you' or 'sing to you' because it's going to be a part... of a future one..... (if i manage to get there.....) but 'to you' seemed more fitting for a foreshadowing/implication?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was wondering if changkyun and me have the same 3AM internet searches and well....
> 
> yoogane = a chicken restaurant chain  
> imbabie = a meme(?)  
> pokwoo = heavy rain = rain = rainism
> 
> monster x is just here because the cast is monsta x..... just assume it's another group ft Zet, Shino, Yeba, Kieun, H.One, BlackJ and Naneun. Yep ChangKi are from the picture of the shirt with the wrong hangul for their stage names. The rest are Nu'Boyz or their possible stage names, predebut✌️
> 
> ngl this was supposed to be a crack chapter because well... 3AM internet searches i'm confident ck probably did it but somehow this crack is one of the longest just because i didnt know how to end it so jm sorry about that shshsh
> 
> also nsfw thing: swallowing cum allegedly helps with morning sickness so morning wood helps the morning sickness eh

**imbabie:** nsfw fact of the day

**imbabie:** cum is good for ur face

**chaebol:** see

**chaebol:** the thing is

**chaebol:** a doctor said it so it  _ should _ be trusted

**chaebol:** but it's you so i can't

**joohoney:** @yoogane

**yoogane:** I'm never gonna tell you

**joohoney:** :'(

**joohoney:** @weewoo

**weewoo:** ? 

**joohoney:** i wanna know!!! 

**weewoo:** but naver exists? 

**chaebol:** but you can't trust anything on the internet

**imbabie:** therefore you have to trust ME

**joohoney:** what's the proof!! 

**imbabie:** i can't show u

**imbabie:** babies can't look up nasty stuff!!!!!! 

**yoogane:** you literally texted an nsfw fact of the day

**imbabie:** im babie

**joohoney:** no i am

**imbabie:** i am!!! 

**joohoney:** who said so??? 

**imbabie:** my birth certificate

**chaebol:** law of the day

**chaebol:** it's illegal to flush toilets after 10pm in switzerland

**yoogane:** wait are you serious

**chaebol:** because i'm a cop you're obligated to trust me aren't you

**imbabie:** issa trap

**imbabie:** ur not a lawyer!!!!!!!! 

**imbabie:** u stayed in germany not switzerland!!!! 

**imbabie:** naver can lie!!!! 

**yoogane:** @weewoo

**weewoo:** I'm never going to tell you

**yoogane:**  (இдஇ; )!?!? 

**chaebol:** you know what's actually illegal??? 

**chaebol:** @joohoney

**chaebol:** jagiya

**chaebol:** heonnie's cuteness

**joohoney:** o(〃＾▽＾〃)o

**imbabie:** :c

**chaebol:** and kyunnie's charms

**imbabie:** ✧ ─=≡Σ((( つ•̀ω•́)つ

**imbabie:** im babie

**yoogane:** i don't know why but it looks like it's pooping a shooting star and propelled itself with it

**weewoo:** a shitting star

**yoogane:** please don't start

**weewoo:** @joohoney can you change my username now? 

**joohoney:** no!!!! everyone needs to know you're a chief police officer!!!!! 

**joohoney:** ESTABLISH DOMINANCE HYUNG

**weewoo:** by having siren sounds as my username?????? 

**joohoney:** SO THEY'LL KNOW IT'S AN EMERGENCY NUMBER!!!! 

**weewoo:** joo

**weewoo:** we went through this

**joohoney:** （；へ：）

**weewoo:** jooheon

**joohoney:** (´；д；)

**weewoo:** Lee Jooheon. 

**joohoney:** oh no he pulled the full name card

**joohoney:** ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·

**chaebol:** YOU MADE THE BABY CRY

**imbabie:** THEREFORE U SHALL PAY

**chaebol:** Preferably In Cash

**weewoo:** hyewon i'm already paying you

**chaebol:** But not in Cash

**yoogane:** you know

**yoogane:** you can change your username yourself

**yoogane:** i didn't lock the door so just go to my room i'll show you

**imbabie:**  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

**joohoney:** ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

**chaebol:** ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

**weewoo:** you two can kiss your bonuses goodbye

**imbabie:** ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

**yoogane:** yoonji's been looking for target practice recently

**imbabie:** NOONA NO I'M SORRY

  
  


_ Knock knock _

 

"Come in." 

 

The door creaks open but Kisoon doesn't need to look away from the screen to know it's Hyunwoo. 

 

The big guy cutely stands behind the door, just a tuft of his hair peeking out with wide, curious eyes searching the room before landing on Kisoon."You don't find it weird?" 

 

"That a millennial can't change the settings?" she chuckles lightly. She shakes her anyway at how cute the older appears with his guilty eyes and broad shoulders slackened - seemingly insecure over not being tech savvy. "It's okay to not know. It's not like those are essential to your life."

 

He shuffles behind the door with his eyes downcast to the floor. For a man who's past 30 years, Hyunwoo resembles Ryan the Bear too much. 

 

Kisoon motions him to enter, as she invited a minute before. 

 

The other takes it short and soft steps, uncharacteristic of him - contrasting to his usual confident wide strides. He doesn't look away from his phone and certainly doesn't meet the doctor's eyes. 

 

"Don't laugh." 

 

"Did you hear me laughing?" a cute tilt accompanies. 

 

"No…" 

 

She pats the empty spot next to her, a space wide enough for Hyunwoo to sit on. "Sit. I'll show you."

 

Hyunwoo grunts. The embarrassment he feels still linger albeit a small hint of it. Eventually, the man finds his spot on the bed and perches his head on her shoulder. Being tall has its unexpected cons, especially if it's related to a short person. 

 

He can't really see the phone screen because Kisoon's blocking the view. 

 

(Though the doctor would counter otherwise with full confidence that she  _ is _ the view.) 

 

She whips out her own mobile and it lights up at the second tap of the finger, the sound of it unlocking reaching Hyunwoo's ears. 

 

The screen automatically displays the chat app's UI, one that's strikingly alike to his save for the personalised colour theme. Where his was a baby blue that reflects his gentle, easygoing demeanour, Kisoon's bear an apricot orange that shows her charisma and humility. 

 

Her finger hovers over three short lines at the top right corner, revealing a set of options that includes the configurations. Hyunwoo's familiar with the action so he does the same. 

 

Following the younger's gestures, he finds the username settings hidden in the Account tab. 

 

"Huh, I've always thought it'd be in the Profile…" the chief scratches his head, feeling embarrassed at the assumption. 

  
  


_ Son Hyunwoo changed their username to  _ **_hyunwoo_ **

 

Kisoon hits him in the shoulder, the fist landing in a rather small impact. "There has to be something better! Something witty."

 

The other considers it. Lost in thought, his fingers graze over the overnight stubble on his chin. 

 

Nothing. 

 

Oh,wait. There's that. 

 

Before it becomes a fleeting thought that's to be gone forever and remnants of the pun sitting on the tip of his tongue, torturing him to days beyond leaving him in eternal agony of what could've been a proud moment. 

 

_ Son Hyunwoo changed their username to  _ **_pokwoo_ **

 

"Heavy rain?" the choice baffles Kisoon but the incoming messages from Hyewon and Jooheon tells her that it's an inside joke. 

 

**chaebol:** omg

**joohoney:** HYUNG SJSKSWODOOCOSOWKZX

**chaebol:** shownu-sunbaenim is making a comeback!!!! 

**joohoney:** monster x who? i only know shownu

**joohoney:** hyung if you Love me,,,, 

**joohoney:** 2PM's ADTOY is an excellent choice, 

 

She turns to the other, waiting for an explanation. 

 

Hyunwoo doesn't meet her questioning gaze. In fact, he's avoiding them by looking elsewhere. 

 

Disappointed with the reaction, she lands an ineffective punch on his arm. 

 

(Is this guy immune to physical attacks? Is that why Changkyun's bites are treated like ants crawling on his skin despite leaving deep dents that lasts for a day?) 

 

"Back when I used to dance, my name was Shownu."

 

"Because that's how Son Hyunwoo would sound in a fast rap?" 

 

Hyunwoo snorts. "That's exactly how I got it. Jooheon tried to make a rap with my name in it and it got stuck. It's better than the alternatives."

 

Rustling from the sheet tells him that Kisoon's lying on her side, yet full attention on the man before her. 

 

"It's Z if you were wondering. Jooheon was BlackJ. Don't ask why. We were bored in the academy." 

 

"Why heavy rain though?" his answers did explain the backstory but didn't address the subject of her curiosity. 

 

"They called me Rainu, guess why."

 

It hit her like a truck. 

 

"Rainism!? I mean, it's a suave song… a legendary classic but  _ Rainism?"  _

 

A hint of shock doesn't go unnoticed, not with her doubtful eyes. 

 

Hyunwoo quirks a brow. "What?" 

 

She flips onto her belly, head resting in her palms, all the while looking like a college girl craving for gossip. "It's hard to pull off a perfect one so…"

 

It's true, what she said. But Rainism had been his go-to song since the day it was released - hours of staying up for Rain's comeback just to be engrossed with the sleek moves that captured both sensuality and coolness. 

 

He's had enough time to perfect it by high school. 

 

It was just a bonus that he could dance well, apparently.

 

A smack resounds in the small, citrus-scented bedroom courtesy of Kisoon's power-driven hits. 

 

"Did you feel that?" she asks, sitting on her heels focused on the tanned skin in front of her. Hyunwoo gives a 'No'. 

 

She hisses and pouts, kneading the muscle. "The fuck… you can sing, you can dance, you can  _ fight _ , you can rip duct tape apart with your hands tied, and you have these… these pacific shoulders! What the fuck do you not have?" she motions. 

 

"An Adonis body?" he suggests. 

 

Kisoon shakes her head. "Nah, yours is like… Michelangelo's David." 

 

"David is my English name."

 

"Seriously, _ what the fuck? _ " 

 

He feels her grabby hands roaming and kneading his shoulders, occasionally switching to his shoulder blades. 

 

It feels like a massage.

 

The answer Hyunwoo has, an appropriate one he figured, lies on the tip of his tongue. 

 

It'll shatter the serenity that shrouds them. 

 

"Spit it out," Kisoon rubs her thumbs in circles into the flesh. 

 

The other pauses. His lips open, prepared for the bad joke to come out, which they do but in small careful croaks: " I don't have a working, healthy, romantic relationship."

 

The younger smacks him on the shoulder this time, determined to leave a red handprint on the skin. 

 

"I dOn'T hAvE a WoRkInG, hEaLtHy, RoManTiC rElAtIoNsHiP, well you're not special so shut up," she mocks, pinching the lobe of his ear. 

 

Though the shoulders remain bare, the ears do turn red from the pinch. 

 

"How did you manage to say that?" Hyewon is the only person he knows so far who could impersonate memes. 

 

Kisoon shoots him another questioning gaze, the walnut chin making its appearance. "Im Changkyun. He uses it as my alarm. Annoys me but it works." 

 

The older snorts because he can see Changkyun doing it - the image as clear as day in his mind. 

 

The young boy is often quiet and calm, maturity radiating off him - result of a life in the US and Israel as an Asian kid and a life in South Korea as someone who had assimilated so much of the culture abroad but little of his own. Hyunwoo supposes his upbringing doesn't allow room for a flexible Changkyun where the traditions differ greatly that his quiet persona compensates for leaving enough space for adjustment and decisions without acting on the spot. 

 

It takes time for the resident to warm up to people, to draw the boundaries. 

 

As Hyunwoo hears Kisoon's rants becoming white noise - the ones about Changkyun putting salt in her coffee, the ones about Doctor Yoon's blackmails on her since med school, the ones of Yoonji enabling Doctor Yoon's exploitation as means of another treat to lamb skewers - he comes to an epiphany. 

 

There's a reason why Changkyun allows himself to be childish around Kisoon. A reason why his walls are down to the point of voluntary vulnerability that only recently Hyunwoo had a taste of. 

 

It's the same reason why Hyunwoo stuck around even after his divorce was finalised, after the court saw the end of Kisoon and Hoseok's marriage and both had no reason left to stay in touch. To be friends _ this _ close,  _ this _ intimate. 

 

It burns his throat - the desire to have more of  _ this _ in the future. To return her nurturing touches, to have her indulge in his own care because God knows how many nights she's spent caring for the patients and some never coming back in their lifetime.

 

It comes with fear - where  she might push the idea away.  _ Is it too much? Am I too much?  _

 

All the giving she pours towards the kids, the sleepless nights wondering if she helped them make through the day, if the surgeries she consulted for went alright. 

 

She deserves to have an equal amount of what she gave. 

 

That much he's confident of. 

 

The fear that accompanies the wish simmers to nothing but comfortable thrums of his heart, the desire burning ever stronger in Hyunwoo.

 

He'll be the one to give it, then. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning: suicide. this section will begin and end with *** so you can skip it!!! 
> 
> i know i said no angst but... does this consider as one? ㄱ(ㅎㅂㅎ;;ㄱ) 
> 
> also, i know this is a fast update considering it might as well be yesterday ch 8 came... it was done in one-go because i needed to get it out of my system before my finals next week!!
> 
> this takes place 1 year and a half after the first meeting, a few months after moving to Gwangju.
> 
> by this time rest of the gang had followed the move/transfer as well
> 
> edit: some debts or loans are dissolved once both guarantors(?) are gone. the documents are strictly restricted to the people signed and er about the loan sharks, a relative's husband got into trouble with loan sharks and by extension, herself and the kids too even when none of them were on the documents. the problem with the loan sharks ceased after they left the house and kept minimal contact to the husband. i'm not sure if that's how it is in other places or with other loan sharks though...

It's half an hour left to the end of her shift. 

 

30 minutes left before she has to clock out and Changkyun would be waiting for her in the lobby. 

 

Their plan is to go to the apartment - the one she shares with Hyunwoo. The one she's been calling home since moving to Gwangju. 

 

The resident's family is away - his brother in the US, his parents somewhere his dad is working at. There's no one waiting for him at home and the solitude gets to him at times. 

 

Hyunwoo isn't coming home tonight.

 

Kisoon doesn't mind eating alone but that doesn't mean she likes it. So, it's a routine the two established after the boy's parents announce their trip abroad. 

 

She asks Nurse Park if there's anyone to see to to which he says _no,_ _the list is clear._ She nods an understanding and bids him a thank you before retreating to her office where her handbag sits on the polished desk, ready to go. The desk is clear and organised with the PC still switched on in case there's a patient who just came in. 

 

When neither Nurse Park or Nurse Choi comes in by the time her shift ends, Kisoon takes it as a sign to go home for the day. 

 

_ Honey chicken?   _

 

_ No, I'll get kicked. _

 

_ Steamed fish?  _

 

_ Sounds nice. Hyunwoo can reheat his share when he comes home in the morning.  _

 

She makes a mental checklist, trying to remember if the ingredients she has suffice or if a trip to the supermarket is necessary. 

 

Changkyun wouldn't mind a detour. The supermarket's right next to an arcade. 

 

Speaking of the boy, he appears in her line of sight but something's  _ off.  _

 

Kisoon doesn't feel good. 

 

His expression obviously ridden with anxiety and concern that even from where Kisoon's standing, she can see the shaking limbs and the struggle for him to drop as he runs to her side. 

 

" _ Noona,"  _ the cracks in his voice tells her that something is  _ very _ wrong. 

 

Changkyun's hands finds purchase on the sleeves of her jacket, the grip strong yet weary. 

 

" _ Noona…"  _ he calls again. This time, with the reluctance of accepting. 

 

But what is he rejecting? 

 

"Changkyun, what's wrong?" she rubs his back in soothing circles, wanting to coax it out of him. The tremors that course through the younger's body is evident. 

 

_ "Hyunwoo-hyung and Hyewon-noona are in the operation theatres."  _

  
  
  
  
  


***

 

A suicide case. 

 

Jooheon, despite many years as a police officer, despite the many times he's gotten calls for this type of situation, has never known how to cope with the aftermath. 

 

He tells them the details - the ones that'll be disclosed to the public soon enough. 

 

A loving mother sent her daughter away to her parents' home. The girl went to surprise her for Mother's Day but finds her mother with a knife in her hands. Not in the way one would hold a knife for cooking, but in the way that left the daughter alarmed and terrified. 

 

They were dispatched to the scene after a quick alert from the girl - she wanted to save her mother, tell her it's going to be okay. 

 

But it wasn't enough. 

 

Hyunwoo tried to stop her. The knife impaled his abdomen leaving a deep gash along with it, the mother just wanting to find a way out of her situation. 

 

Jooheon wanted to have a go, to try but she got a hold of Hyunwoo's pistol and threatens to shoot anyone who tries stop her. 

 

He went for it anyway. 

 

Protecting lives. That's what he wanted to do with his life. 

 

But Hyewon protected his. 

 

The bullet penetrated her chest, the one the mother aimed for Jooheon's calf. 

 

Realising the severity of the situation, the mother begs for forgiveness from the trio, begs for forgiveness from her own daughter for what she's about to do. 

 

Jooheon couldn't catch her in time and no one caught her as the older woman fell to the ground. 

 

The image lingers in his mind - Hyunwoo unconscious from the blood loss, Hyewon from the shock, the girl paralysed by grief.

 

He feels like a failure. 

 

***

 

The case has a common cause: her husband leaving behind loan shark in her stead, debts she foolishly signed thinking they were official banks not knowing they were false documents. 

 

The daughter is spared from being a holder and a collateral. 

 

With only the older woman having her hands tied, she left some money for her precious daughter, one she was reluctant to leave but decided there would be no peace for her if she continued to live together. 

 

With the love she's certain the girl feels for her, no doubt she'd sign on as another guarantor just to spare some burden. 

 

That was not what she wanted. 

 

Never what she wanted. 

 

That was the story the press received and released. 

 

Jooheon couldn't help but sympathise with the woman who just wanted peace if not for the both of them, at least for her daughter. 

 

And Kisoon, someone who sees boundless familial love day in day out in her line of work, feels the same heartbreak as Jooheon, as the girl, as the mother. 

 

They don't talk about what's going inside the operation theatres metres away from them. They don't talk about the critical state Hyunwoo and Hyewon are in. They talk about the treats Changkyun would do once Hyunwoo and Hyewon get better. A trip to Ilsan maybe - they have an indoor amusement park there that Ahmi talked of fondly.

 

They don't talk about how they don't actually know if the two would make it out alive. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Their vitals are stable but it'll take a few days before regaining consciousness. It's expected for Hyunwoo to come to earlier whatnot with a less severe injury than Hyewon. 

  
  


His parents flew to Gwangju soon after Jooheon calls them. 

 

Kisoon cleaned the house before their flight arrives which luckily, was in the morning giving her hours to arrange things for the couple to stay. 

 

She'll stay at the hospital and find some way to watch over Hyunwoo when visiting hours are over and his parents have to leave their son. That was the idea she had. His parents reluctantly agreed, initially not wanting to impose on the privacy Kisoon set in the apartment and burden her but figured that Hyunwoo's in her capable hands when she's not working and time's up for them. 

 

When she isn't busy with her patients, when her break time comes, Kisoon finds herself in Hyewon's ward first, being close to the entrance then in Hyunwoo's. 

 

They look so fragile and weak and she just wants them to wake up already so they'd all be okay. 

 

Today's no different. 

 

Changkyun texts her that Jooheon and himself would look after Hyewon today so she should go see Hyunwoo. She sends him back an  _ OK _ followed by a cartoon shark giving a wave with one of its fins. 

 

The cardiac monitor displays stable readings. The doctor knows from experience, from the words she relays to the family of her own patients that one should have faith. 

 

But it's hard to when Hyunwoo's face itself is pale, lips chapped, and hollowed cheeks. The weight loss he suffers just from this case is drastic and she can't bear to imagine the ones he had before this and the ones he'll have in the future. 

 

Careful of the IV, she slips her hand under his still one. It's warm. Good. Great.  _ Thank you.  _

 

The skin is awfully dry. The younger thinks of what products to help with it once he's clear for a discharge. 

 

_ Will he even get discharged?  _

 

_ Will he even wake up?  _

 

The thoughts come to attack again, their overwhelming presence bringing a heavy dread. 

 

There are still things they planned to do together in Gwangju to explore the beautiful city. Activities so that Hyunwoo's memories of the place aren't solely based on the ones he has with Dior. New ones that he can look back at without cringing or thinking of an ex. 

 

Even though she told his parents that the hospital might as well be her home so it's okay, it's a blatant lie. 

 

It's selfish, Kisoon's aware. 

 

Kisoon doesn't want to deal with the knowledge that Hyunwoo might wake up alone in the ward  _ \- if he does, when he does -  _  she doesn't want to see traces of him in the house that's everywhere and anywhere. In the form of the the sea bass in their freezer, in the form of pull-up bars he's installed in the living room and the round glasses he wears that tells everyone it's impossible to get him out of the house. 

 

It doesn't feel  _ right _ . 

 

It's not home if the knowledge that he's not coming back looms over her. It's not home if the living room is messy because he fell asleep on the sofa right after returning from the station. It's not home if she doesn't pick up his shirt and finds them clean of his blanket-like scent. It's not home if she cooks and Hyunwoo isn't looking over her shoulder impatiently asking her for a bite and willingly get smacked by a wooden spatula for sneaking one. 

 

It's not home if he's not there. 

 

Kisoon looks him over again, taking in the features and imprinting them at the back of her mind. She grasps the large, now bony hand and wrapping it in her own tinier but chubbier hands. The contrast is striking. 

 

When they get back home, the both of them, she'll cook a feast fit for a king. Kisoon'll throw out her distaste for seafood. She'll cook fish every day, squids if the wet market doesn't close early, and maybe crabs on the weekends. 

 

_ So, please wake up and come home to me _ . 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a complete rewrite of chapter 10 because the previous version left a bad taste in me. this one seems more reasonable and i've been meaning to bring in his parents so yep. mix them both in one.
> 
> again, none of this is medically correct!!  
> hope you enjoy this one (☍﹏⁰)

That loud, sharp beeping is nothing short of annoyance. 

 

It's nothing like his default alarm ringtone that blares in the morning until he swipes up; unlike Kisoon's when she leaves hers on full volume and it rings about the house. 

 

Okay, alarms are supposed to annoy you but this one is an unfamiliar annoyance. 

 

It's louder from his right. Hyunwoo's sure that's where the sounds come from. Maybe his phone had an auto-update and is now stuck with this monotonous thing. 

 

He struggles to crack an eye open, the light breaking through blinding his sight. 

 

For some reason, throbs echo in his abdomen. 

 

Weird. 

 

Did he drink?

 

He doesn't remember bringing along Seungwan's belly wrap with him to Gwangju. Doesn't remember putting it on either. 

 

So, what is this thing? 

 

Holy shit. Did he sleep on the sofa? 

 

What the fuck did he do last night? Why is everything so uncomfortable? His back is dying. 

 

And those sounds. 

 

Usually Kisoon would barge in and hit him with the pillow to wake him up just to shut the alarm off. 

 

But Kisoon hasn't come in, and the beeping continues. 

 

Hyunwoo leans forward, his vision still unfocused but one thing's for sure, when his vision gradually sharpens and he takes in the sight he is greeted with, is that he thought wrong: 

 

This is not his daffodil yellow blanket. The bed is not his comfortable memory foam bed. Those are not the sounds of an alarm clock. This is not his bedroom. 

 

Nothing is coming to his mind- no recollection or hint of some sort as to why he's bedridden in a hospital room. 

 

"Uncle?" 

 

Little Jooyeon's mouth widens in surprise, her eyes twinkling with happiness. 

 

Hyunwoo hadn't realised her presence, too engrossed in figuring out what happened. He looks at her in shock, then scans the room for anyone else. 

 

In the corner, just a metre and a half away from his bed are his parents and Seungwan, staring back at him like they've seen a resurrection. 

 

The squeeze on his left hand steals his attention and Hyunwoo diverts his gaze back to the small girl all too eager for her uncle to talk. "Uncle!" she exclaims, her loud voice booming in the room,"You're awake! Dr Yoo has to know!'

 

"Dr Yoo isn't his doctor, baby," Seungwan scolds. 

 

His cousin makes her way outside calling for a nurse for his doctor. Upset, Jooyeon stares at her mother's figure exiting the room. The girl frowns, unsatisfied. 

 

"But she's his friend! Special friend! She has to know!' she whines stomping her foot to emphasise. 

 

Hyunwoo's father comes near, looking up and down his bedridden body and sneaking a peek at the heart monitor by the bedside. He shakes his head at Jooyeon's whine, "Dr Yoo is working. Dr Yoo and Dr Min are friends. I bet she'll tell her, so don't worry. Okay, kiddo?" 

 

Jooyeon stomps her feet once more, pouting and muttering I don't care about Dr Min, I want Dr Yoo! under her breath.

 

Hyunwoo knows of only one Dr Min in the hospital, or one that Kisoon's friends with. He isn't surprised when Min Yoonji walks through the doors with Jooyeon's mother either. 

 

She gives him a knowing glance and hides a snicker behind a clipboard. 

 

"Yoonji-ah, don't think I didn't hear you."

 

"I know. It's just hard staying professional knowing I what I know."

 

"What do you know, Dr Min?" Jooyeon prompts. The curiosity in her tone pleads for an answer but Min Yoonji's heart never wavers for anything but lamb skewers. 

 

Yoonji glances at the child in amusement. 

 

"Blackmail."

 

"Eomma, what's blackmail?" Jooyeon pipes up. Her mother coughs into her hand.

 

"It's a bad thing that'll land you in jail so you should always be truthful and not exploit people, isn't that right, Yoonji?" 

 

"Hyunwoo-ah, you're fear mongering her. Don't do that." the old woman scolds. 

 

"Sorry, Eomma." 

 

"Halmeoni, what does exploit mean?" 

 

Seungwan sighs in defeat. "It means you make use of something. Sometimes, it's not a good thing."

 

The ah's that leave Jooyeon's mouth brings a fit of chuckles from the doctor. "Kids like you make me wonder what's it like to a paediatrician. You don't make much trouble, do you?" 

 

"Nope! Dr Yoo said I'm a good girl and the best kid in the world!" the girl beams. 

 

Yoonji hums in agreement. She takes a closer look at Hyunwoo's readings and jots down whatever she finds necessary. Glancing up and down Hyunwoo's resting form, she doesn't note a sign of major discomfort from the older. 

 

"How do you feel?" 

 

"Weird. My abdomen feels off. My back hurts like I'm 85 years old already. Other than that, nothing really."

 

The doctor taps the tip of her pen on the clipboard, nodding to each word. 

 

"Actually, you kept slipping in and out. I doubt you remember though. This is the first time you're fully awake. Everything seems as normal as it can be for an otherwise healthy patient recovering from a stab wound."

 

He hears pen nib scratching onto the stack of paper, possibly updates to his medical reports. The stack is thick and it prompts a question in his mind. 

 

"How long have I been here?" 

 

Yoonji hums. "11 days. You first woke up three days after, though. That's nothing to worry about, really. Different people have different reactions and even though the causes are similar or the same, you still won't be able to have the same exact reaction each time."

 

11 days? That long? 

 

That's nearly two weeks!

 

The man groans when he calculates an estimation of how much he's missed. Anything could happen in a second, what more an hour? 

 

Wait. 

 

"Eomma, Appa, when did you come and where have you been staying all this while?'

 

Seungwan and Jooyeon could've stayed in the mother's friend's house while they are in Gwangju but as far as he knows, everyone his parents are acquainted with or related to all stayed in Seoul. 

 

11 days would kill them financially. 

 

"We went as soon as Jooheon called," his mother muses,"and stayed at your place. Kisoon is such a dear, offering us to stay there so we could still be here. She even made sure we ate well."

 

Unbeknownst to everyone but him, Yoonji snorts. 

 

Is this the blackmail she said? 

 

But it's odd. 

 

Even though their apartment is comfortable enough for the two of them, it's surely not for two elderly folks who are constantly at home. 

 

Due to their hectic responsibilities , neither Hyunwoo nor Kisoon needed a large space nor extravagant setups for the place. Kisoon must've cleaned up the place and fixed it to suit his parents' needs. 

 

But then, what about Kisoon? 

 

Where does she go? 

 

Ah, so this is the blackmail Yoonji said. 

 

"Did Kisoon mention a place she's staying at?" 

 

The older man taps his chin. "She said she'll stay at either Hyewon's or her junior Changkyun's place."

 

Bullshit.

 

There is no way Kisoon would stay at any of those two's houses. 

 

She's too awkward with strangers no matter how much she tries and wouldn't want to deal with an extended period of being uncomfortable with them even if said strangers are nice people. 

 

The prospect of having either Hyewon or Changkyun at the house won't be enough to save her from feeling like she'd rather shoot herself in the foot than to continue entertaining strangers. 

 

Hyunwoo glances at Yoonji. Sure enough, the smirk she sends his way is a confirmation of yes, this is the tip of the blackmail. 

 

He's going to have a talk with Kisoon once her shift is over. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Why did you lie to my parents?" 

 

"About?" 

 

It's 7PM, an hour pass the visiting time. His parents, Seungwan, and Jooyeon had all left after catching up with him as soon as Yoonji cleared him. 

 

Hyunwoo isn't sure about the policies of the hospital, but Kisoon's presence in the room makes him think she pulled some strings to be allowed inside despite not being his doctor nor nurse. 

 

Min Yoonji, you cunning shit. 

 

Kisoon had brought along a canteen and the older could smell the scent of freshly cooked bibimbap, tofu, and gyeran-mari. 

 

It's mouthwatering. 

 

"Eat up."

 

"Shouldn't I be eating hospital food?" 

 

"Is hospital food even food?" Kisoon canvasses. 

 

It's definitely not a type of cuisine, Hyunwoo's certain of that. 

 

Still. 

 

"Are you allowed to say that? As a doctor and as an employee of this place?" he takes the canteen and his mouth waters at the sight of the fluffy white rice in the centre of the canteen surrounded by the condiments that make up the dish. 

 

The younger shrugs, uncaring of the hospital's opinions and judgment. 

 

"Hey, answer my first question," Hyunwoo demands in between chews. He almost forgot, distracted by the meal he was blessed with. 

 

(No offence, but the hospital food is terribly bland and it's not the fault if his taste buds.) 

 

The doctor looks away in embarrassment. 

 

"I didn't want them to worry. They'll tell me that the living room is okay for one of them to sleep in and I can't do that to them," she confesses. 

 

Hyunwoo stops for a bite. God, Kisoon's good at cooking. 

 

He misses the perfection in her recipes. 

 

"Then where are you staying?"

 

"My office."

 

"What the fuck?" 

 

Kisoon shrugs. It's not a big deal, really. She's done it several times before. She's used to it since her resident days. Hell, med school had her staying overnight at the faculty many times before. 

 

This is just another night for her, except she's doing it for someone other than herself. 

 

"I do go home, sometimes you know," she backs up just in case Hyunwoo bites.

 

It's not convincing him, however. 

 

He lays the metal chopsticks at the side and looks at her in the eyes. "Are you doing this for me?" 

 

"You'll get bored, won't you? There's nothing to do here. You need more than the nurses' care."

 

"You make me sound high maintenance…"

 

"That you are. Now, feast. I went home to cook. Don't worry, I made your parents some too."

 

I wasn't even worried about them. I didn't even think of that. 

 

Hyunwoo bites back a retort. 

 

if he doesn't, it'll leave a sour taste in both of their mouths. 

 

He's flattered that she's doing that much for him - going as far as caring for his family. 

 

But at the expense of her own well-being? 

 

She's a homebody, she treasures her privacy and adores her personal space. And she gave it up just so Hyunwoo's parents could be there for him. 

 

Kisoon stayed at the hospital just so he won't be alone. 

 

"I didn't ask you to stay at the hospital."

 

"Of course, you didn't. I decided it myself."

 

"Kisoon-ah, what about your things?" 

 

"I go back home to settle them while cooking for your folks, so that's okay."

 

"You don't have to do that much, you know."

 

She really doesn't. 

 

As much as he hates it, how she's doing this, his heart skips at the sacrifices she did to ensure how comfortable he is, being able to have his family while he recovers. 

 

There's a limit to how much she should have done, but Hyunwoo can't undo any of it in this state. 

 

The older motions for her to come closer and when he does, he shoves a spoonful of rice in her face. "Eat."

 

"I ate at home," Kisoon frowns. 

 

"Let me rephrase: eat with me. I feel bad."

 

"You don't have to feel bad for something I decided to do to myself."

 

"I know. I just can't help it."

 

Kisoon chuckles - the melodious fit of soft laughter carrying itself like a canary's song.

 

"I'll make it up to you," he swears, "I'll return it tenfold. Token of appreciation for taking care of me and my parents."

 

The suggestion doesn't fall on deaf ears. Kisoon entertains the idea but has no anticipation for its happening. The doctor did it out of selflessness, not expecting anything in return. For the sake of appeasing Hyunwoo though, she mutters an okay hoping it's enough to make him drop the topic. 

 

It's not. 

 

Hyunwoo knows the kind of person she is. 

 

Her okay is meaningless and an empty agreement. She doesn't want him to return the effort, she doesn't want any sort of compensation. 

 

The older's also aware of how the topic leaves her fidgeting and awkward so he doesn't press further. 

 

It doesn't stop him from thinking though. 

 

Hyunwoo swears, in the future - soon or a long time down the road - he'll pay her back as much as he can. 

 

After all she's done for him, it's only right for him to return it. 

 

He'll do it one way or another. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> personally, i like this version more. the previous version felt too forced to me when i think about it. 
> 
> i wanted to go fifth gear with their relationship and it resulted in that. 
> 
> in the end, it left me wondering where the hell is everyone and what are they doing? realisatically, that's not something that would commonly happen and totally out of the characterisation i wanted to portray in this au. it didn't sit right with me.
> 
> so i rewrote it and here we are. 
> 
> surprisingly, i managed to go quick here too, the same speed i wanted to achieve in the previous version while not losing too much of my sanity. after all, this was made for fun and i should be having fun with it╰(*°▽°*)╯~
> 
> thank you!!


	11. Chapter 11

The atmosphere settles down to a comfortable silence, Kisoon lazily resting her head in Hyunwoo's lap. Their focus stays on the blinding glare of the television screen.

 

Neither of the two remembers what the movie's called. Or bothers to know. One thing's for sure is that they both agree it's dull and boring. The story lacks substance - if there's even any plot to call it a story. 

 

Kisoon grimaces. "I'm changing it. I'm not spending my night off getting stressed over a dumb movie." She reaches for the remote but her hand's swatted away by one that's much larger than hers. 

 

"Hey!" 

 

She squints her eyes, mouth open, mirroring her offended feelings. Kisoon glares and hisses. 

 

Hyunwoo doesn't budge. 

 

Instead, he switches the channel to one of his choosings and slips the remote under his butt i a flash, safe from the grasp of the tiny gremlin. 

 

Kisoon eyes him. Wrinkles form her signature walnut chin, dissatisfaction written all over her face at the injustice. There's no way she can win against a 181 cm tall man, especially not one physically trained too well. All she has as weapons are tteokbokki fingers and unpolished taekwondo skills. She can't even tickle the guy into submission whatnot with the wound. 

 

She slumps in defeat but not before flicking him on the shoulder, the loud thwap! bouncing off their cream-coloured walls. 

 

Hyunwoo snickers, still. 

 

"My face is right here," Kisoon perks up, face directly in front of his tummy - the same place a deep gash was slowly healing, "I'll bite you."

 

"I didn't know you were into that," Hyunwoo teases. He bounces a knee just to egg his housemate. The sudden move startles her, bringing a shock over her being. 

 

"You spent too much time with Hyewon."

 

"Don't you think it's the other way around, Hyewon spending too much time with me?" 

 

Kisoon hisses, sounding like his old cat Eunbi when his cousins tortured the kitty with cucumbers when she woke up. The poor cat spent the whole week sulking and a lifetime of hatred towards his cousins. 

 

When he doesn't bite back, she huffs, cheeks all puffed up, and returns to her spot in his lap. Chuckling, he slips locks of hair between his fingers, pulling them towards the end then returning back to Kisoon's scalps, the motion repeating itself in a serene mood. 

 

Their eyes glue to the television once again, this time for the critically-acclaimed romcom going viral lately.

 

The two main characters in their mid-30s, aching for the spark of romance but neither had the lover to get it from. A contractual relationship between the two to provide one another with the expectations of a relationship but not indulging in the feelings of it. It's a predictable show - everyone can tell the two would go down the Oh, no, I actually like them route but the charms of the show lies in the sincerity of their dynamic. No mixed signals, no misunderstandings, no prolonged cliché that became norms in other shows. A bit unrealistic for how the two characters solved their problems maturely so quick, but it's a sweet break from the pains of a relationship in real life. 

 

Hyunja, the female lead of the show, finds herself in a stressful situation: should she go for the park date casual look or opt for a look that says "hey, I'm having a date at the movies then we're heading over to the arcade!". There's also another problem: she's the older of the two in the relationship. The expectation of being mature and portraying that in her daily life rests on her shoulders. 

 

Kisoon pokes his arm. "Wanna bet?" 

 

Hyunwoo smirks. 

 

"She'll wear a different outfit."

 

"She'll text Wonhee for opinions. _On the two_ , " Kisoon declares. 

 

None of them wins, because Hyunja is a mature woman who doesn't like conflict and prefers to confront them upfront. Her solution? Just text her damn boyfriend, she's going on a date with him not anyone else anyway. She's going to dress up for _him_ while making sure the outfits are for _her_ as well. 

 

And bless Kihyun, male lead, unnaturally caring despite taking the role of being the younger one of the two, tells her to wear the long-sleeved white turtleneck from the first outfit, then match it with the chiffon midi to complement her top and figure. Both taking into account how cold it'd be. He texts her again, to remind her to bring a jacket but if she doesn't, that's okay because he's got a trenchcoat in her size in the car. 

 

"That was easy."

 

Kisoon grunts in agreement. "No wonder they don't call this a drama. There's hardly any. Yet, they make it work." 

 

The show continues with Hyunja and Kihyun's date.

 

They hold hands in the cinema hall, sharing a bucket of popcorn as they sit in the couple's seat. Hyunja slows down her pace when she notices Kihyun's struggle to catch up with his shorter legs. Kihyun sees something he knows Hyunja would like, and gets it for her, to which the older sheepishly smiles with red ears and crescent eyes.

 

As the show follows the couple's date, Hyunwoo's heart fills with yearning. 

 

He _wants_ that. 

 

He wants to care for someone and being cared for. Wants the romanticised walk in the parks and midnight dates to fast food joints. Wants the cringey but witty love declarations that leaves him embarrassed but cherished. Even the midnight getaways to stargaze on top of a hill where the stars are brighter than the city lights. 

 

 

"You're sighing," Kisoon comments, "what are you thinking about?" 

 

The look she has is slightly curious, slightly empathic. She probably has a gist of what he's thinking of, just doesn't know exactly what. 

 

Hyunwoo grunts. The actors' voices become distant in the background, his gaze focusing on their loving act. "I want to have that."

 

Kisoon quirks one of her eyebrows. 

 

"A relationship or the things that come with it?" 

 

He thinks it over. 

 

"Both."

 

The woman hums, understanding. 

 

"I don't mind not having a relationship now, but I do want to have someone in my life. Not just anyone. Dior was my first love, she just isn't my true love. True love. That's the someone I want."

 

He gazes into Kisoon's eyes, longing for companionship evident in hers as well. He's not the only one. 

 

They had become like this together. 

 

From the beginning up to this point. 

 

"But, there's no clear indication of who's my true love. And honestly? I miss that. I miss spoiling someone and being pampered with their love too. Call me cheesy but I'm desperate at this point," Hyunwoo confesses. 

 

He leans back on the sofa but none of his fingers leave Kisoon's locks. His focus returns to the show - the main leads coming to terms about where they stand in each other's life. And accepting it wholeheartedly. 

 

"Let's date."

 

"What?"

 

Hyunwoo looks at her puzzled. 

 

Kisoon doesn't waver. 

 

"You. Me. Together. Boyfriend. Girlfriend. Do couple things." 

 

"Why?" 

 

"You said it yourself. You want those things but you don't know who's your true love. I want those things too - I miss that kind of life. So while we're both looking for our true loves, we can just provide each other with those things. Easy-peasy."

 

 _That's… logical_ , Hyunwoo thinks. _But is it ethical…_

 

He feels a slight pinch in his tight. No doubt it's Kisoon trying to get his attention. 

 

"It's okay if you don't want this. I just wanted to fill that void, yknow? It sucks. Years of it and when it's gone, I can't live without it. Cope, maybe, but I don't think I can live without it."

 

The solution Kisoon presents is simple. 

 

While they're actively looking for The One, at least they can have what they missed about a relationship. 

 

The more he thinks about it, weighing the pros and cons, the more the idea becomes ideal. 

 

He looks at the television, this time, Kihyun's grateful face and the actor's signature Yoo Seolsaeng smile appears when Hyunja says yes, to becoming his real girlfriend, not one out of benefits. 

 

 _It's a happy ending. I want my happy ending_. 

 

He questions it over and over again, the consequences of any decision he's about to make. 

 

"Kisoon-ah."

 

"Hm?" 

 

"If we do this, then promise me when you find them, you think it's them, you know it's them, you tell me right away, okay? That way, I'll be able to help you."

 

"So if I promise, it means we're dating? Y'know, that's an unconventional way to ask someone out."

 

Hyunwoo doesn't answer. 

 

Kisoon guffaws, her laughs turning into wheezes. His poker face is amazing at times, it awes her. 

 

"I promise," she finally replies, "and I'll do the same. I'll be your sidekick, the wingman. My failure rate is 0.01%, that 0.01% being my own failed marriage."

 

He laughs at the joke, and feels warm when Kisoon hides her face in his lap, feeling embarrassed over her own words. "Hey now," Hyunwoo coos, "your face between my thighs? Aren't we skipping a few steps here?" 

 

The slap that lands on his thighs stings like a bitch, but Hyunwoo doesn't care. Doesn't mind how Kisoon doesn't leave his lap, too embarrassed to look him in the face with her blaring red cheeks, her swears muffled into incomprehensible speeches. 

 

 _Cute_. 

 

Hyunwoo watches her curl up, refusing to look him in the eye, but know she's sulking by the way she grunts and putting all her weight on one of his legs. 

 

She's not heavy at all, but he'd let her believe she won the fight. Who knows if he can use it as leverage against her one day? 

 

_Yeah._

 

He breathes in. 

 

 _Let's try_ _this_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry. i shouldn't have taken this long for something so short. i underestimated how i'd be holding up after my finals but some things happened and long story short, my anxiety and depression left me with only enough energy to get to the next day. 
> 
> this chapter had gone through so many rewrites and drafts, all different plots within those couple of weeks. i initially had a flow for this chapter but because i wrote that first draft after my finals, i wrote it out of frustration. it didn't leave a nice taste so i had to scrap it, again and again, until i was left with this which bears no resemblance to the flow i originally wanted. i'm so sorry and thankful to everyone who reads this. thank you for your patience and understanding!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> living together domestically but this time, as lovers

[4:30 AM] 

 

_ Right.  _

 

_ Should switch off his alarm for the time being.  _

 

Hyunwoo rises, stretching his back as much as he can without bringing discomfort to himself. 

 

The Sun isn't up yet but by the sound of clanking utensils from the kitchen, the one he's overly familiar with - metallic, non-stick pans for omelettes, small wok for luncheon meat - Kisoon is. 

 

He dismisses the idea of putting on a shirt. Not like Kisoon has never seen him without a shirt, knows he feels the fabric constricting him in his sleep. 

 

The phone alarm's blaring bells had softened to a wind-chime's melody signifying the 10-minute mark. Hell, the alarm's been on that long? Grunting, he braces himself to face the glaring bright screen when he turns the device over. 

 

_ Fuck!  _

 

It takes him a while to adjust them. The sudden light stings both his eyes. He swipes up - a motion the phone detects and associates with the acknowledgement of the user's wake, successfully fulfilling its purpose. The alarm quiets right away and Hyunwoo doesn't hesitate to save his eyes from the blinding glare. 

 

Sounds of sizzling meat pass through the heavy wooden doors. There's a smell so faint he struggles to pinpoint how she had seasoned the meat today. It doesn't stop his stomach from grumbling though.

 

When the phone's back to its spot on the bedside dresser, facing downwards, silent, Hyunwoo reaches for the lamp. 

 

He scans the wall behind it for the power outlet and when he does feel the switch, Hyunwoo presses it, hoping for a dim, mellow orange to illuminate his room. 

 

The colour fills up his room instantly, bouncing off the walls and like this, his eyes don't hurt as much. 

 

Hyunwoo sits on his bed longer to fully adjust himself. Outside, no stars are out and about - shying away from the city's light pollution. The city lights however are welcomed in what is an otherwise dark, morning sky. 

 

He doesn't know how long he's been sitting just to gain his bearings. A night of undisturbed rest, the knowledge that he wouldn't need to go to work in the early morning, results in a disoriented Hyunwoo who isn't much different than a toddler then. 

 

Once he remembers he is Son Hyunwoo, in his early 30's, a Chief at his station, tired, somehow has a son and a daughter two years younger than himself (and maybe another who's 4 years younger, he doesn't know if Changkyun would like to play house) he thinks those are enough signs that he's ready for the day. 

 

Steps in trudges, Hyunwoo opens his door ajar, just to peek into the hallway. 

 

There's no one but the smell of meat cooked to perfection reaches his nose. The air conditioning in the living room is stronger than his room's, the chilly air hitting his bare skin sending shivers. Without needing to think, his feet brings him over to the kitchen where Kisoon, sporting  a t-shirt reaching midthigh and shorts that end just a centimetre below, standing tiptoed, reaching for a packet of ready-made rice seasoning. 

 

"Ah, morning," Kisoon greets. 

 

Hyunwoo stands right where she is, then effortlessly grabs the packet and passes it to her. "Good morning." The younger returns her thanks. 

 

Kisoon scurrily heads over to the island. Hyunwoo follows behind groggily, peeking at the fluffy white rice still releasing fumes. 

 

It smells like Heaven. 

 

"Can I eat some?" 

 

Kisoon makes a well in the middle of the rice, spreads a pinch of the seasoning, mixing the two together with her hands, then repeats the process. "Yeah, I made your breakfast too." 

 

Hyunwoo reaches out for a pinch and she shrieks. "I don't mean now!" She hisses and swats the calloused hands away, leaving the other to whine. 

 

"But I wanna eat now…" 

 

"No. Go turn the stove off, please? I think the meat's done."

 

Whimpering like a sulking child (or Jooheon) he turns around where the stove is, turns the knob until a click is heard and the flames die. Crackles bounce off the wall from the hot oil still cooking the meat. 

 

And he dips a finger inside. 

 

_ Thwap!  _

 

"Out!" Kisoon hits in a fury, "Don't come back until you brush your teeth and put a shirt on! Leave, you uncultured bear!" The damage is done. Hyunwoo has contaminated the dish. It's 5AM, it's too early to be angry. 

 

Hyunwoo doesn't fight back. The burn stinging his finger brings alertness and he mentally scolds 5AM Hyunwoo for being stupid. 

 

It's karma for his idiocy. 

  
  
  
  
  


He returns in an old, stained, grey sweatshirt and a finger covered in aloe vera. Didn't seem like he needed a gauze so he left it bare. He'll ask Kisoon later if there's anything he might need to do with it. 

 

Side dishes line up neatly side by side on the kitchen table, in cute, small bowls filled to the brim, Kisoon generous with her portions. 

 

"What do you want?" she asks with her fingers wrapped around a glass. Hyunwoo isn't working today or would be for a few more, so coffee is out of question. The older sits in his spot, eyes on the fluffy egg omelettes and salivating at the visual. "Orange." Kisoon hums. 

 

She can hear him gobbling the food down already. He had always been impatient when it comes to food, so it isn't a surprise when she brings a glass of orange juice to a Hyunwoo with stuffed cheeks. 

 

He looks cute. 

 

Like a grizzly bear freshly woken up. 

 

Kisoon leans in, her lips meeting the golden skin for a short peck.

 

… 

...!? 

 

Hyunwoo whips his head to face the younger, eyes wide in surprise. Kisoon tilts her head. Hopeful, expecting, curious. 

 

When it fully registers that he's been given a soft peck on the cheek, blood rushes to the tip of his ears and fills his cheeks red. His eyes turn into crescents, crinkling as the ends of his lips curl upwards into a grin. "Yah, that isn't fair."

 

"Why isn't it fair?" 

 

"I'm eating."

 

"And?"

 

"I'm supposed to give you one back."

 

This time, it's Kisoon who hides shyly behind her small hands. Whether from embarrassment or the anticipation, Hyunwoo can't tell. 

 

He chews the meat as quick as he can, swallowing them in successions. When there's nothing left in his mouth, he sips the juice and swishes it around, letting it flow down his throat. 

 

"Kisoon-ah," at the calling of her name, the doctor emerges from behind her hands. Her skin is tinted pink from all the blushing. 

 

"Yeah?" she inches closer. Hyunwoo leans forward, just enough so the tip of his nose meets Kisoon's. A chuckle escapes his lips before he tilts his head and curls a hand around the younger's small jaw. 

 

When Hyunwoo kisses her, Kisoon feels at peace. It has the hint of the spark they both miss from being in a physically affectionate relationship while having their own touch to it - Hyunwoo's thick, plump lips, careful and gentle like himself, and Kisoon's thinner ones, warm and loving. 

 

They separate after seconds, their first kiss being experimental, skirting, testing boundaries they have yet to talk about.

 

Their gazes linger, twinkling, glistening eyes peeking from behind the crescent. 

 

"You taste like orange," Kisoon giggles, the light laughter being a soothing remedy to Hyunwoo time and time again. 

 

He nuzzles their noses together. This sort of skinship perfect for their level of intimacy. "Your breath stinks " he jokes. Kisoon pouts, a cute frown replacing the wide grin she had on seconds ago. 

 

"You're mean."

 

Hyunwoo laughs. "You're the one didn't kiss me back."

 

The other doesn't budge from her spot, and doesn't push away the hand that's curved on the side of her face, trying to ignore Hyunwoo who hasn't moved either. She nuzzles into the comforting hand, sulking at her housemate - no, _her_ _boyfriend._ She was caught by surprise after all.

 

Hyunwoo kisses her again. 

 

This time, Kisoon kisses back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't write kissies!!! i'm sorry!!!
> 
> apparently this is the 12th chapter and... when i said slow burn i meant by slow burn = short chapters = written in few chapters but seeing as it's past the 10th chapter mark... it's slow burn = short chapters = written in a lot of chapters. and they've just started dating. out of benefits. this is more of a slow burn than i thought......
> 
> and!! this chapter wasn't planned/intended. there isn't a point to be made in here except for hyunwoo asking for food... i just remembered omnyomnyom and shownu saying whenever kihyun's cooking, he asks for it while he's standing next to him. i'm a showki crumb eater lacking large vocabulary running sleep-deprived, sue me.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, a disclaimer: i'm not a health professional and i couldn't find what i needed via google either because there weren't any that fit or i just didn't know the right keywords
> 
> my medschool friends are still in their first year and i'm too shy to ask any actual health professionals i know. 
> 
> in short: this will be highly medically inaccurate.
> 
> enjoy (ˊo̴̶̷̤ ᴗ o̴̶̷̤ˋ)
> 
> edit: so my dumbass wrote the wrong name TWICE because i 1) forgot i wasnt using dodo 2) relied on find and replace and autocorrect (and just... tapped on the bame without reading...) as a quick-fix since i'm out ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` ) im surprised its hyemi instead of hyuna though

Changkyun had always been a cheeky kid. Unlike Jooheon who values and treasures peace, easing people into a favourable place maintaining the role of the peacemaker, the younger's quicm to rile people up for answers without caring much for the timing. 

 

Which is why Changkyun's silence and darting eyes bring nothing but suspicion. 

 

Lunch break means the cafeteria's full of staff and visitors filling in the tables, the loud chatters becoming white noise to Kisoon's ears. Hyunwoo and Jooheon sit quietly, munching their home-cooked dosirak, their presence at the cafeteria no longer a stranger on the hospital grounds.

 

Hyewon hasn’t woken up despite nearing a week since Hyunwoo’s discharge. The time before that had already been a while. Her vitals stable yet no signs of waking up.

 

But there's hope. 

 

Albeit it getting smaller. 

 

Changkyun bounces his legs, hitting Jooheon’s once in a while.

 

“Changkyun-ah, what is it?” Kisoon breaks the silence. The younger looks away from his food with widened eyes, like a child surprised when their parent asks who broke the vase. He returns her questioning gaze with a determined pair and coughs.

 

Crossing his arms across his chest, back leant back into the chair and an accusing stare at the older two, Changkyun ignores the kicks Jooheon lands onto the legs of his chair. He gives the other a side-eye. Jooheon shakes his head, eyes threatening him.

 

Hyunwoo knows this situation. He’s not dumb to not know the thing Jooheon and Changkyun are thinking of can potentially be disastrous. He’s been in this spot far too many times in high school and had his fair share of being the guy getting kicked in the shins. Most of the times, unknowingly traversing forbidden boundary. Other times, taking one for the team.

 

Whatever Changkyun is about to say, it must’ve been something that bothered the younger two a lot.

 

The resident sends Hyunwoo and Kisoon an accusing glare. “We’re not gonna be upset at you for the PDA, y’know?”

 

 _Oh_.

 

Kisoon chokes. “How did you know we’re dating?”

 

This time, it’s Jooheon who takes the wheel. “There’s just something different about you two lately. You seem like you’re desperate to do things but can’t because we’re here.” He huffs, eyes glistening and lips in a pout. “You don’t have to hide or stop yourself when you’re with us.”

 

Changkyun nudges him. 

 

“Hyung, that sounded weird.”

 

“Doesn’t matter, the point is still there,” he hisses. He returns back to his dosirak, ignoring the flustered couple. Unlike Kisoon who deals with embarrassment by grinning like a fool behind her tteokbokki fingers and letting out incoherent whines, Hyunwoo leaves his with his reddened ears and complete silence.

 

Changkyun snorts.

 

Were they _that_ obvious? She could’ve sworn they were acting as usual. Well, to the extent Jooheon and Changkyun know of.

 

“It’s only been three days...is it that obvious?” Kisoon asks. It’s not that she’s ashamed of dating Hyunwoo. No, she’s quite proud of it. Ranked Chief. A heartthrob. An all-inclusive package. Would probably make her parents so happy if she ever brought him home that they’d adopt him as their son and replace her.

 

They talked about the boundaries they have to work this whole thing out ( _Isn’t this a bit like a friends-with-benefits situation?_ Kisoon mused yesterday). They forgot to talk about this, though, telling their friends.

 

“Wait, how many days?” Jooheon gasps. “ _Three_?”

 

Changkyun mirrors Jooheon, their hands reaching to cover their mouths. Counting the days in their heads, the value of the number sinking in as the gears went to work. 

 

Jooheon turns to the youngest, jaw dropped in shock. Changkyun slowly shakes his head, mouthing a quiet _what the fuck?_

 

“Why do you two look like that?” Hyunwoo grabs his spoon. Kisoon smacks his back, a gesture for him to straighten his posture. He picks it up right away but grunting at the light sting the impact left. “Didn’t you just say you knew?”

 

“No, it’s…” Jooheon waves off his hyung’s question, eyes not leaving Changkyun’s blown in disbelief. The younger kicks him in the shins.

 

It’s a relief that the duo had become close enough to be able to talk with their eyes, but it’s annoying when Kisoon doesn’t know what it means. “What is it, you two?”

 

Changkyun braves himself, daring to look at his senior waiting for an explanation. 

 

Smart as she may be, Kisoon hasn’t pieced it together yet. He can’t risk their appetite over this. “It’s nothing.” There’s no way he can be blunt about it. Nope, a possibly awkward atmosphere is not worth the lunch break he’s desperate for. There won't be another until past 7PM. Plus, those two live together. Co-dependent.

 

_I must not indulge in my curiosity for the sake of peace of mind._

 

Kisoon took him under her wing which means if anything happens, he’ll feel obligated to side with her. There’s no way he can give up Hyunwoo for that possibility. Kisoon is a leash, Hyunwoo’s the treat. _I’m a dog. It’s simple maths._

 

Sensing their reluctance, she doesn’t press on. Changkyun is a blunt kid with no filter when it comes to her. 

 

He’ll straight up curse her, age hierarchy be damned.

 

They let it go, continuing their lunch well before Kisoon and Changkyun are due for work. Hyunwoo and Jooheon have an hour to kill before going back to the station - Hyewon has an entire room to herself. Her family’s away in Germany, too expensive to return to South Korea, leaving her well-being in their hands. 

 

It’s lonely, just being in there. Hyewon likes solitude. Being alone meant free of everything else. But not loneliness.

 

If she wakes up all alone in the room, surrounded by nothing but the smell of medication and the beeping sounds of the monitor, it'll crawl and eat her. 

 

With Hyunwoo and Kisoon focused on their food (distracted enough to not see Changkyun pull his phone out, too occupied to scold him for his lack of table manners, a _Noona, it takes me 5 seconds to type this text, go away_ ) Jooheon grabs the chance to see his text. 

 

imbabie: so theyre fucking dumb

joohoney: are we talking about how long it took them to get together

joohoney: or how they didnt realise friends dont act that way towards each otherm

imbabie: they, still, have yet to realise friends dont act that way after theyre dating

imbabie: itll take them a year for them to realise theyve been dating before they dated

imbabie: THEYVE BEEN DATING FOR THREE DAYS ONLY

imbabie: WEVE BEEN THINKING THEY DATED FOR MONTHS

joohoney: kyun

joohoney: at this rate

joohoney: they would be married before they realise theyre married

joohoney: if hyewon was awake

joohoney: shed get the job done

imbabie: we r 2 weak

joohoney: we r but two slaves conditioned by years of being university students living in poverty

imbabie: hyewon-noona is the only brave one

joohoney: i wish i had enough money to be like her

joohoney: unfortunately our food supply is hyunwoo-hyung and kisoon-noonas fridge

imbabie: dont worry bro

imbabie: crash for cash

joohoney: SHJCWKDM I DONT HAV INSURANCE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jooheon's routine is this: drag a chair to the bedside, slip his fingers in between Hyemi's, feel the pulsing veins because she's alive and right beside him, fighting on.

 

If his phone isn't dying, Cream Heroes and SBS's Animal Watch provide the perfect complement to the calm of the room. If it is, Jooheon's content with watching her chest rise and fall along with the heart monitor's beeps. 

 

Hyunwoo settles for sitting on another chair. As a policeman, he has the community's safety to secure. As the chief, he has the station's affairs to handle. 

 

Pain finds home in some places, often in his back (He's getting old no matter what Jooheon, the angel, insists) and sometimes the weariness dreads on. But that's alright. He's fine with those. 

 

Nothing a cuddle session with Kisoon can't fix. 

 

"Hyung, you've got a bad look on your face," Jooheon whines. "No naughty thoughts while the baby's here."

 

The older snickers. "It's just cuddling."

 

Jooheon fake gags, echoes bouncing off the walls. "You've gone third base!" "Joo, we've kissed already," "You're nearing fifth base!" he screeches dramatically. Putting on the cutest face he can ever pull off, one that Hyunwoo finds a twin to Shrek's Puss in Boots', Jooheon is invincible. "Dating Kisoon-noona has changed my hyung." 

 

 " _You two are finally dating?_ " 

 

Hyunwoo turns to the croaky voice. Such a voice could only belong to someone who just woke up, the appeal of slumber still latching onto them. 

 

Chae Hyewon is staring at him with an amused grin. 

 

Jooheon is the first to react. He grasps her hand - the one he gently holds onto each visit - tears running like a waterfall. "You're awake!" 

 

"I am. Is that a big deal?" 

 

"Yes! You've been sleeping for weeks," 

 

"No, I didn't. I woke up yesterday." 

 

Hyunwoo pauses. "Yesterday?" 

 

"Yep," Hyewon nods, as if her staying in the hospital doesn't mean anything but a day off work. 

 

Jooheon shakes his head. "That still means you've been asleep for weeks."

 

"No," she denies, "I woke up before that too."

 

_Wait a minute._

 

"Hyewon-ya," Hyunwoo calls, "Roughly how many times have you woken up?" 

 

"Eh, I woke up every day for the past two weeks, I think. Before that, every two or three days."

 

"Do you know where we are and why we're here?" 

 

Hyewon nods. "This is a hospital. I got injured and needed surgery." She says them with ease, as if nothing is wrong. As if she didn't realise she might've violated protocols or possibly giving a mob a reason to accuse the hospital for neglect. 

 

"Do the doctors know?" 

 

"Uh, did _you_ know?" 

 

Hyunwoo takes a deep breath. "So, you're saying you didn't notify any nurse. Or doctor. That you woke up weeks ago. _Why_? Actually, _how_ did we not notice?" 

 

Hyewon shrinks, an ounce of guilt finally latching onto her. "To be fair, I keep waking up at night and by the time you guys arrive, I get tired so I'd just fall asleep. But I wouldn't be able to sleep that quick so I'd just shut my eyes and not do anything. Jooheon mentions the date every time he's here so that's how I know…"

 

"The nurse? The doctor?" 

 

"Same thing. Actually, I thought you knew so I assumed you told them already..."

 

Hyewon lets out a nervous laugh. The weight hits her like a brick and for once, she's grateful the hospital demands a temporary conversion to pacifism for the entire time they're there. Else, she'd stay longer for the broken bones Hyunwoo could've given her. 

 

"Hehe."

 

" _Hehe_?" Jooheon looks at her in disbelief, then to Hyunwoo, "Hyung, is this _allowed_? Is this possible?" All shreds of grief tossed out, the young policeman does his best to not strangle the other. 

 

For days, he cried wanting the other to open her eyes. Now, he just wants to cry at this stupidity.

 

Hyunwoo sighs. Nope, he's not dealing with this. He'll just ask for Nurse Park to come in, then maybe Doctor Han would follow suit. Stay for the evaluation then leave for work because there's no way he's staying to hear anymore of Hyewon's reasons when she has to repeat them to the health professionals. 

 

He feels sorry for Kisoon's body about to crush to pieces later. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for being late!! because the previous ones diverted from the original plan, i struggled to find a way to steer it back and with writing even though it's just less than 2k words... (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`) 
> 
> i'm not that great to begin with (i think i'm decent though) since i'm more acccustomed to academic writing instead of creative writing so trying to find the most suitable combination of words is difficult for me 0)-(((
> 
> writing fanfics is great practice tho
> 
> thank you for enduring it T___T


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> timeline: 2 months after the previous chapter. unbeta'ed as usual so there may be errors~

Summer greets with heat waves, the Sun being unforgiving and rain stopping by with its kind showers. It’s tolerable, and on some days when Hyunwoo can see them sluggish and messy in the station, he hopes the electricity bill doesn’t come with a headache. 

 

The early weeks of the season don’t surprise them with students loitering in Gwangju’s streets with their friends, or parents and kids hand-in-hand for a promised trip. 

 

The scenery is different from a summer in Seoul, the one that he’s accustomed to, but it fills him all the same: with gratitude and excitement. 

 

He’s no different from the people going about their lives, trying to reach their summer goals, ticking things off their bucket list before autumn rolls in. Hyunwoo’s not immune to the hidden beauty the heat offers - everyone at the station can feel the dread pouring in and in the longer, they’re without a break.

 

Which sees them on a day trip to Seungchon-dong: the local campground a perfect spot for the station's barbeque.

 

Since middle school, Jooheon had come to terms with his luck in any lottery, no stranger to misfortune, ready to be the unsung hero, the slave to all. 

 

Once, he pulled a strip of paper landing him the role of Ddol, the servant’s dog in a school play. At least he was a cute dog and didn't need to memorise any lines. 

 

Another, he chose a stick leading him to act as the Beggar King in a skit. It wasn't that bad unless he counted the number of times the class clown knocked him on the head with a wooden spoon. 

 

The only time he ever had luck was when he played the role of the eldest among his friends. 

 

It was liberating, to say the least especially since all the older ones were at his beck and call. 

 

So yeah, Jooheon was prepared to be the one flipping wings and pork bellies at the grill while everyone was armed with water pistols and drenched. His gut instincts strong since Taeil brought it up as a suggestion. Didn't even bother to pack an extra set of clothes. 

 

But that doesn’t mean he’s not upset. Tolerance can only get him so far. 

 

Glancing behind him, Hyunwoo checks his for the nth time that hour. The younger gave up counting the times chuckles slipped past his lips.

 

“Hyung!” he flips a wing, the sizzles loud and clear, “Aren’t you supposed to supervise me?” 

 

Hyunwoo doesn't bother to tear his eyes away. "Aren't you supposed to supervise the meat?" Jooheon groans, a pair of tongs in his hand. Flames reach the skin, cooking the seasoned meat into a delectable shade of brown. Satisfied with the smell of honeyed chicken, he lets out a loud whistle. 

 

"Hyung, c'mere! Check this out," he becks. Lifting one stripe of pork belly up just to see its underside, Jooheon could probably cry. 

 

Well, he grilled it. There's only one way to find out if it's  _ really _ cooked and actually tasty. 

 

It's definitely not an excuse for him to stuff his mouth with half of their stock. 

 

Totally not because he's a petty little bitch acting on his own sense of payback. 

 

Nope. It's just compensation for his labour. 

 

It  _ melts _ . 

 

The heavy sweetness dances on his tongue with the salt giving balance in flavour. There are hints of lemon mixed in but it's not enough for an obvious sour taste. Just a tinge. 

 

Jooheon praises to the gods. 

 

He finally has proof that he's a perfectly independent man. No longer relying on takeaways, deliveries, or stopping for convenience store dosirak. 

 

_ Mum, your son's all grown up now.  _

 

He's no longer KNPU's Lee Jooheon who lived off instant noodles occasionally stolen from a beloved senior. 

 

(Not that he stopped stealing food from Hyunwoo.

 

A pout and glossy eyes are the solutions to everything.)

 

He nibbles some more then turns around to offer the same stripe. "Hyung~" 

 

"Hm?" Hyunwoo hums, eyes finally off his phone. He darts them to the younger officer, glaring at him sharply. 

 

"Yah! What got you glued to your phone all day?" 

 

He smiles. "Kisoon texted me some pictures."

 

Jooheon perks up. "Noona's got you wrapped around her fingers. Where's my hyung who uses two hands to take a selca?" 

 

He laughs, getting up and heading over to Jooheon. "Your hyung is here, he's coming to your side, you big baby." Hyunwoo taps on the gallery icon. 

 

"I'm  _ your _ big baby," Jooheon raises the tongs high, letting the end of the stripe fall into Hyunwoo's opened mouth. "What pics did she send, anyway?" 

 

_ Heh.  _

 

"Of our kids."

 

Jooheon chokes. Definitely not because of the grill. 

 

"Kids?!" 

 

"Yep, kids," Hyunwoo sees Hyewon walking towards them, wet hair tied in a high ponytail and yellow cotton tee soaked from the water fight. "We adopted them over the weekend. It was love at first sight."

 

His smile gets wider when Hyewon is right behind the unsuspecting Jooheon. 

 

"The...I'm...Wait...Can you? I mean… no? Are you joking?" he stammers some more. How do you adopt two kids, let alone  _ one _ over the weekend? And doesn't it take a long time?

 

"He's telling the truth but he's messing with you. Oppa, stop making it weird."

 

" _ Holyfuckingfuckshitwhatthehellcanyounotdothat- _ " 

 

Jooheon jumps nearly knocking over the grill. Hyewon rolls her eyes, amused. "Hyunwoo-oppa saw me coming. I thought he told you."

 

"You're a Slenderwoman, you know that?" Jooheon hisses. He turns to Hyunwoo snorting, "and you, you're eating charcoal meat. JooSanta knows you've been a bad boy," his finger accusing. 

 

Hyewon scowls. "Are you insulting me? I'm better than a Slenderman kin. That thing's a bootleg dalgyalsin. Even more insulting. I have this  _ face,  _ you wanna get rid of it?"

 

Jooheon shivers. "Don't talk about ghosts!" He shoves the tong in Hyewon's face, threatening to pinch her nose like a crab. The older woman rolls her eyes.

 

"Jooheon-ah, don't look down," he tilts his head exposing the nape of his neck. Hyewon aims for the spot, hitting it with ice-cold water. Jooheon hisses at the sensation, the coolness bringing mercy when the summer breeze blows on it. "This is bliss~" 

 

Hyewon nods, spraying on his tee this time. It’s hot enough to dry the cloth quickly. Wonwoo brought an extra shirt that’ll fit him well enough. “Did he show you the pictures?”

 

“He wasn’t joking that he has kids?” the younger officer rips a drumstick apart, popping a smaller portion into Hyewon’s mouth. “Hyung, when did you get married? I thought I was your kid!”

 

The flavour bursts in Hyewon’s mouth. “They didn’t,” the meat’s tender, the sweet honey flowing out at each bite, “Gimme some of the pork belly too,” and bends her knees to match Jooheon’s height.

 

Not bothering to cut it, Jooheon picks the shortest stripe and hangs it over her, one end disappearing into her mouth as she gnaws on the meat. The edges are crispy, Hyewon enjoying the sounds of crunched burnt meat. The younger sighs. Long gone are the days of spending his summer like a hermit playing Tekken, the only perks of an adult’s summer is being legal to do enough things.

 

Which sucks because he can’t even hold his liquor.

 

So yeah, the only difference between his teenage summer and his adult summer is that he’s now the errand boy to the alcohol store and the designated driver.

 

“Oppa, show him,” Hyewon says between each bite.  Just the other week Changkyun went on FaceMorph and they ended up with Kim Ji-Soo coming from Hyunwoo and Kisoon’s merged ID photos. Jooheon scoots over to the oldest’s side, prepared for a Son Ji-Soo and their siblings.

 

And sure.

 

They’re cute.

 

Very charming.

 

But neither are mini Kim Ji-Soo.

 

Instead of tanned skin and sharp eyes, a ball of white fur and round black eyes look back at him, sitting in Kisoon’s lap. Tiny Bichon Frises much like Hyewon’s baby Leo, except one is still a pup, close to dozing off.

 

“The bigger one’s Angela, the baby is Malsook,” Hyunwoo says proudly with a grin so smug Jooheon couldn’t tell if it’s from him taking the bait or if he’s a proud dog dad, “They’re Leo’s siblings.”

 

From what Jooheon knows, Hyewon fell in love with baby Leo when the litter were still newborns. The pup didn’t like her aunt’s family as much as he loved her so naturally, her home became his.

 

“Angela came from the same litter,” she coos, the thought of her son waiting for her at home endearing, “Malsookie is the second youngest. My aunt couldn’t take the puppies with her so oppa and Kisoon-eonnie adopted them both.” 

 

“You didn’t ask me if I wanted any of the pups?”

 

“First of all, your meals are either at oppa’s house or at Burger King. Second of all, like father like daughters. Seriously, all I wanted was to hug you and I ended up with cat scratches,” Hyewon retorts before Jooheon starts to sulk. Even if the two kittens had warmed up to her, there’s a bitter memory of claws and loud hissing and residual hurt left behind.

 

Jooheon stomps, because she’s right and because he has nothing to counter her with. Even Sanche who’s practically his brother is a coward like him. 

 

He swipes left for more photos - some are of Malsook’s small poops in the kitchen and potty accidents, some being Angela finding weird places to sleep in. Jooheon doesn’t understand how it’s comfortable for a dog to sleep in that pose then again he nearly fell off a balcony from dozing off after all-nighters for suneung. 

 

Hyunwoo shows him more - videos Kisoon took a few days before and the latest one just hours ago showing Malsook who gave up on breakfast and fell asleep in her bowl, curled up in the well.

 

The two dogs are adorable and the chemistry between them is just as cute.

 

_ It’ll suck if they’d get separated. _

 

The grass stills, the breeze passing without breaking Jooheon out of his thoughts. If he moves, the ground beneath his feet may crumble, or maybe a possible future if he dares to ask.

 

“Hyung?”

 

“Hm?” Hyunwoo cocks his head, a sign for Jooheon to continue.

 

The younger isn’t sure what he’s expecting from the older. He doesn’t know how to approach it either.

 

He settles for assurance.

 

“You and Kisoon-noona are dating right?” Hyewon stares at him, puzzled at Jooheon’s sudden question “I know it’s something like friends with benefits kind of thing but without the sex stuff,” he says, cheeks flaring from bringing up his hyung’s sex life. 

 

Changkyun, the nosy brat, pestered the paediatrician for juicy info,  _ who asked who, how did you guys confess!? _ , his disappointment at the lack of romance shared with Hyewon and Jooheon in Overwatch’s team voice chat.

 

The two are too natural at being a couple, perfectly complement each other, even better than their ex-spouses had for the entire time they were together. Not in the way one picks up where the other flaws in, making up for something they don’t have but they make each other  _ better. _

 

(But sometimes, Changkyun swears they get dumber.)

 

Jooheon pauses a breath, “Do you like Kisoon-noona?”

 

And Hyunwoo without hesitation nods. “I’m dating her, why would I date someone I don’t like?”

 

The younger shakes his head in refusal. “I mean, do you  _ like _ her?” he repeats, each word spilling as if he’s trying to pick up any hint of Hyunwoo’s actual feelings.

 

Are they still dating because what they do with each other feels good? Because they couldn’t find anyone else? Because of how convenient it is?

 

And Hyunwoo, despite dating a bunch of girls in high school because he liked them enough, was once married to whom he had called the love of his life, can’t give himself an answer either.

 

*

 

Angela paws at his trousers the second he opens the door. She stands on her hind legs up to Hyunwoo’s knees for his attention after a day away from her new dad. “Hello,” he whispers and scoops her up in his arms, using his feet to push the door behind him. The dog licks his face, her own way of welcoming him home. 

 

The licks are ticklish but gentle, Angela’s charming nature coming out to play, wringing out giggles from the man.

 

Turning away from her, Hyunwoo sees Kisoon huddled up on their sofa, wrapped cosily in a blanket with Malsook. A part of the blanket’s crumpled, Hyunwoo assumes Angela woke up just in time to say goodnight. He doesn’t miss the way Malsook’s eyes blinking open; her ears had always been sensitive.

 

He makes his way over, kneeling by the side of the sofa to kiss Malsook on her nose. Angela boops her nose for a kiss, jealous for not getting one yet. “I’m sorry,” he smooches, relishing in Angela’s licks of satisfaction.

 

“Hyunwoo-oppa?”

 

See, the thing is, no one’s pretty when they wake up. 

 

When you sleep, there’s no way to make sure your hair stays nice and neat, or your face free from your dogs’ saliva and fur. Your clothes would end up wrinkled most of the time or mosquitoes got to you. And God, Kisoon  _ should  _ be ugly with the way her eyes are squinted, puffy-eyed, and her walnut chin making its appearance, making her seem like she’s angry at Hyunwoo for no reason. Her hair sticks out in the weirdest ways, her skin’s blotchy and red, imprints of a pillow on her face, all bloated. There’s probably dried dog saliva on her cheeks too.

 

But Hyunwoo doesn’t understand why he finds it so endearing. So  _ cute. _

 

She’s messy like this, no sign of the neat and tidy Kisoon he knows. She’ll probably scream at the mirror when she sees her bloated face, or get stressed from how her hair’s not cooperating.

 

But this Kisoon nuzzles against his hand when he slips it under her cheek like a pillow. Drowsy and calm, with tired but caring eyes.

 

“Why didn’t you sleep on your bed?” he thumbs her cheeks, admiring the blemishes usually hidden away by concealer when it’s time for work. Kisoon doesn’t bother to keep her eyes open and just says sleepily, “Was waiting for you to come home.”

 

_ Home. _

 

It strikes him like lightning, the warm feeling coming seconds later when Kisoon slips her hand under her cheek, over Hyunwoo’s. Compared to his, her hands are tiny and her fingers short and stubby like tteokbokki.

 

Angela sneaks out of Hyunwoo’s hold and slips under the blanket, and Malsook continues dozing off. Kisoon pats the older puppy, coaxing her into slumber, her own eyes threatening to close. “Goodnight,” Hyunwoo murmurs, but loud enough for her to hear. She nods, too tired to say her own goodnight, and her soft snores eventually carrying itself in the room.

 

And maybe, Hyunwoo thinks it’s not too late to give Jooheon the answer they’re both looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm really, really sorry.
> 
> i already wrote the first half a few days after the previous chapter was posted and was planning to post it a week later but a week became two and then three and now it's mid-september. the only excuse i have is that my mental health spiralled downwards unexpectantly. my anxiety got bad, and i didn't feel like living. i couldn't write this light-hearted fic while feeling so awful or when i did, i struggled to get the idea out. 
> 
> i'm still in a bad mental state but i was able to write the scenes i wanted albeit not the way i wanted to write it in. logically, i shouldn't do that but i thought, 'if i don't force myself to do it, then when am i going to do it? i don't even know when i'll stop feeling this way. what if i never stop?' and swore that i'll at least have to get them to confess they /like/ each other if i don't manage to execute the initial plan.
> 
> this chapter nears 2.5k words which is way over the limit i set for each chapter but i don't think a shorter chapter would be able to bring this out. thank you for still sticking around :')


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